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diff --git a/old/63407-0.txt b/old/63407-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1171bb3..0000000 --- a/old/63407-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6835 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Linda Carlton's Perilous Summer, by Edith Lavell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Linda Carlton's Perilous Summer - -Author: Edith Lavell - -Release Date: October 8, 2020 [EBook #63407] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LINDA CARLTON'S PERILOUS SUMMER *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - [Illustration: “How do you feel now?” asked Linda.] - - - - - LINDA CARLTON’S PERILOUS SUMMER - - - By EDITH LAVELL - - - Author _of_ -“The Girl Scout Series,” “Linda Carlton’s Ocean Flight,” “Linda Carlton, - Air Pilot,” Etc. - - [Illustration: Linda Carlton Series logo] - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - _PUBLISHERS_ - New York Chicago - Printed in U. S. A. - - - Linda Carlton Series - - - Thrilling Adventure Stories of a Group of Girl Aviation Enthusiasts - By EDITH LAVELL - - LINDA CARLTON, AIR PILOT - LINDA CARLTON’S OCEAN FLIGHT - LINDA CARLTON’S ISLAND ADVENTURE - LINDA CARLTON’S PERILOUS SUMMER - - - Copyright, 1932 - By A. L. BURT COMPANY - Printed in U. S. A. - - - TO - MY HUSBAND - VICTOR LAMASURE LAVELL - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. The Accident 7 - II. The Lost Girl 21 - III. Planning the Treasure Hunt 35 - IV. A Stranger at Green Falls 47 - V. A Flying Engagement 57 - VI. The Telegram 70 - VII. The Widow in Black 83 - VIII. Amy’s Relatives 96 - IX. The Take-Off 104 - X. The Treasure 116 - XI. The Return of the Flyers 131 - XII. Trickery 141 - XIII. The Haunted House 151 - XIV. Two Surprises for Linda 160 - XV. The Ghost in the Tower 169 - XVI. While the House Burned 184 - XVII. The Rescue 193 - XVIII. In Quest of the Money 205 - XIX. A Clew to Follow 218 - XX. Flying Over the Mountains 226 - XXI. A Strange Landing 238 - - - - - LINDA CARLTON’S PERILOUS SUMMER - - - - - Chapter I - The Accident - - -“Aunt Emily, may we have a picnic lunch?” - -Pretty Linda Carlton, the first girl in America to fly from New York to -Paris alone, stood in the living room of her aunt’s summer bungalow at -Green Falls, and asked the question. Her blue eyes were pleading, -although it was not for the mere favor of a lunch. The older woman -glanced at her costume—a flying suit—and looked grave. - -“Where do you want to go, dear?” she countered. - -“Dot and I want to go off by ourselves—in the ‘Ladybug.’” - -“The ‘Ladybug!’” repeated Miss Carlton, with despair in her tone. That -was the name of Linda’s autogiro, which she had purchased in June and -flown south to Georgia. There she had met with all sorts of disasters, -had been kidnaped by a gang of thieves and stranded on a lonely island -with this same girl—Dot, or Dorothy Crowley—as her only companion. - -“I should think you and Dot would have had enough flying to last you the -rest of your lives.” - -“Now, Aunt Emily, you know I could never have enough flying. I—I—belong -in the air.” Linda’s eyes lighted up with joy, as they always did when -she spoke of her favorite pastime. She came across the room and seated -herself upon the arm of her aunt’s chair. “I’ve stayed on the ground for -two weeks, Auntie dear—just for your sake. But I’ve got to go up now—I -just have to! You do understand, don’t you?” - -Miss Carlton, who had taken care of Linda ever since she was a baby, was -so afraid of airplanes that she had never even taken a ride with her -niece. She sighed. - -“I suppose so, dear. But don’t go far, and promise me you’ll be back for -supper.” - -“Oh, we will! I’m sure of that!” Linda replied, as she bent over and -kissed her aunt. - -The words she spoke were sincere; the “Ladybug” was in perfect shape, -and Linda truly meant to plan her flight so that she would be back in -Green Falls before sunset, but, of course, she could not know that -circumstances would step in and prevent her. - -Fifteen minutes later, she and her chum, Dot Crowley—diminutive in size, -but bubbling over with spirits and capable to the tips of her fingers, -stepped into the autogiro, adjusted the self-starter and left the earth -behind. It was a beautiful summer day, without a cloud in the sky, and -the girls were as happy as birds. - -Linda directed her “Ladybug” straight across Lake Michigan, over the -heads of the swimmers and above the boats, for the shores of Wisconsin. -An invigorating breeze was blowing, so that the girls were glad of their -sweaters and helmets, and they laughed and sang as they flew. - -It was over a hundred miles across the lake, but the autogiro took the -distance with the ease of a motor car. On and on they went, pressing -into Wisconsin, leaving the lake behind. When they finally landed in a -field for their lunch, Linda confessed that she didn’t know just where -they were. - -“Why, it’s two o’clock, Linda!” exclaimed Dot, as she dived into the -lunch box for a sandwich. - -“No wonder I’m hungry.” - -“So am I!” agreed her companion. “But I guess we better not go any -further, Dot. We must get home to supper.” - -“I wish we didn’t have to. You know what I love, Linda—flying over the -lake. I always have adored all kinds of water sports, but honestly, -flying _over_ water beats everything.” - -“Want to fly to Paris with me?” suggested Linda, playfully. - -“Sometime. But in a bigger boat than the ‘Ladybug.’ Now if you still had -the Bellanca——” - -“If I had, I wouldn’t go,” interrupted Linda calmly, reaching for -another sandwich. “I wouldn’t do a thing that would get me into the -newspapers!” - -“I don’t blame you,” agreed her companion. - -Little did they think as they spoke thus idly, that that very evening -they themselves would be requesting the papers to print a story which -concerned them. - -It all happened two hours later, with incredible swiftness. They were -flying back across Wisconsin, low enough to watch the landscape, when -Dot suddenly let out a shriek of horror. - -“Look at that—oh—Linda!” - -Her companion grasped the joy stick, and looked about expectantly, as if -some plane must be coming at her which she did not see. - -“No—down on the road!” cried Dot. “That car!” - -Casting her glance downward, Linda saw what she meant. A huge car, -driven by a man with a great mass of gray hair and a gray beard, at a -speed nearing eighty miles an hour, zigzagged wildly in the road, -rushing headlong at the forlorn figure of a girl walking beside the -gutter. - -“The man must be crazy!” muttered Linda, discreetly pointing her -autogiro upward. “Or drunk!” - -An instant later the car knocked the girl down, threw her up against the -bank, and by some miracle, regained its position again and sped away. - -“He’s killed her!” screamed Dot. “A hit-and-runner!” - -Linda brought her plane downward, but it was too far away to see the man -so that she might identify him later, except by that beard. - -“There isn’t a soul in sight!” observed Dot. “You’re going to land?” - -Linda nodded; luckily her autogiro didn’t need a special field. She -descended and brought it to a stop, not far from the injured girl. She -and Dot climbed out, dashed over the field to the road, and picked up -the victim in their arms. She was a young girl, possibly about fourteen -years of age, whether dead or merely unconscious, they could not tell. -Blood was running from her head. - -“We’ll carry her over beside the autogiro, and apply first aid,” said -Linda. “Luckily I have all sorts of supplies with me—and water.” - -She was a pretty girl, except that there was something decidedly -pathetic about her whole appearance. Her clothing was not ragged, but -dreadfully out of style; her straight hair hung about her temples -without any attempt to make it becoming. It was neither long nor short, -and had no ribbon, no pin of any kind to keep it out of her eyes. Her -sweater looked like a man’s, and her skirt was evidently handed down -from an older woman. Her whole body was so thin that she looked almost -emaciated. Her face was a blank white, with no make-up to relieve the -pallor. - -Linda bound up the wound, and after some minutes the girl finally opened -her eyes. Deep, black eyes they were, that appeared huge in such a -small, colorless face, eyes that gazed at the girls without any -understanding. - -“How do you feel now?” asked Linda, still kneeling beside her, and -offering her water from a thermos bottle. - -The girl raised her eyebrows, and muttered a feeble, “All right.” - -Meanwhile, Dot ran over to the road to see whether there wasn’t a car -somewhere in sight. But there was neither a car nor a house. It was a -barren stretch of country—she didn’t know where. - -It was a lonely place indeed for a poor helpless girl to have such a -dreadful accident, through no fault of hers. But now that she was -conscious, surely she could tell them where the nearest town was, so -they could take her to a hospital. - -Linda, too, was realizing that they could not hope for a machine to come -along, that they would have to take the girl with them in the “Ladybug.” -She was just about to ask her who she was, and where she came from, when -she was startled by the very question from the girl herself. - -“Please tell me who I am, pretty lady,” she said, pathetically. “I can’t -seem to remember anything.” - -Linda gasped. - -“I don’t know. My friend saw the accident from the air—from our -autogiro, while we were flying. You were walking along the road, and a -car swerved at you going eighty miles an hour. I think the driver was -crazy, or drunk, for he almost seemed to drive right at you. And he -didn’t even stop.... So we landed our plane, to look after you.” - -“What was I doing on the road?” - -“Just walking.... Look in your sweater pockets. Maybe there’s a letter, -or something.” - -“You look—please. I’m so tired,” sighed the girl, and her eyes closed. - -Linda searched frantically, hoping that the girl would not die without -their even finding out who she was. But the search was of no avail; the -pockets of her sweater were full of nothing but holes. - -Dot returned from the road and glanced questioningly at the girl, and -then at Linda. - -“Unconscious again?” - -“No, I’m all right,” replied the stranger herself, wearily opening her -eyes. - -“Have you thought of your name yet?” inquired Linda. - -“No, I haven’t. My head hurts so. Please take me to a hospital!” - -Between them, Dot and Linda managed to get her to her feet, and helped -her into the autogiro, where she sat on Dot’s lap in the passenger’s -cockpit. Linda started the motor. - -“Ever been in a plane before?” asked Dot, as the “Ladybug” taxied. - -The girl shook her head. - -Linda consulted her map. She did not know where she was, but as she had -flown almost directly west from Lake Michigan, she decided to fly east. -If they did not pass another town, they could land at Milwaukee. - -It was growing late—they had spent more time on the ground than they had -realized, and Linda felt uneasy. If darkness came on before they reached -a town, the girl might die before they found a hospital. And besides, -Linda’s Aunt Emily, who was always worrying about her, would be sure -that she had been kidnaped or killed. - -The girl in Dot’s lap seemed perfectly inert as the time passed, until -the sun set. Then she uttered a queer moan. - -“Does your head hurt?” asked Dot, in her ear. - -“Yes—but that isn’t it. I’m—I’m—afraid!” - -“Of an airplane? I can assure you that you’re with one of the best -pilots in the world!” - -“Oh, not that! I’m not afraid of flying!” - -“What then?” - -“Of the dark,” she whispered, fearfully. “Of—ghosts!” - -Dot looked at the girl as if she were crazy. In these modern times—how -had she been brought up? If she were a child of six, it would have been -different. She wondered whether she could have understood her correctly, -the motor was making so much noise. She bent over and asked her to -repeat what she had said. - -“Ghosts!” replied the girl. A frightful shiver ran through her whole -body, so intense that Dot could feel it in hers. She thought the girl -was delirious. - -“There’s no such thing, my dear,” she reassured her, patting the shaking -frame. - -“Oh, yes, there is! And I mustn’t be out alone at night! Never!” - -“Put your head on my shoulder, and try to go to sleep,” urged Dot, -comfortingly. “We’ll soon be at the hospital.” - -But it was not so soon as she hoped. They flew on and on, without seeing -any lights that would indicate a city. And all the while the girl -continued to sob. - -At last, however, they glimpsed bright lights ahead, and Linda flew low -enough to read the signs of Milwaukee. She followed a huge beacon light -that led to an airport, and brought her autogiro down to earth. - -While she wired to her aunt at Green Falls that she and her companion -would have to spend the night at Milwaukee, Dot succeeded in finding a -taxicab, which they all took to the nearest hospital. - -The girl was perfectly conscious when they were admitted, but when the -authorities asked for her name, she still could not give it. - -“I don’t remember anything,” she said; “before these ladies were bending -over me on that country road. Except about a ghost that I see and hear -at nights.” - -Dot looked helplessly at the doctor. - -“She isn’t an idiot, is she, Doctor?” she whispered. - -“No, no! It’s a case of loss of memory—after concussion. Brought on by -that blow on the back of her head.” - -“But why the ghost?” - -“That is some memory that is vivid enough to pierce through the fog -which is surrounding her past life. It is a good sign—when one fact -remains, the others are more likely to follow.” - -The nurse was ready to take her to her bed, when the girl uttered a wail -that was pitiful to hear. - -“Don’t leave me!” she begged Linda and Dot. “You are the only friends -that I have in this strange world. And in the other world there is that -frightful ghost!” - -Impulsively, Linda bent down and kissed her affectionately. “You must -let the nurse take care of you now, dear—and be a good girl. We have to -get some supper. But we’ll be back to-morrow. We promise.” - -“If that specter doesn’t carry me off to-night!” - -“He can’t carry you away from the hospital,” replied the nurse, -smilingly. “We never let ghosts into the hospital.” - -“Never?” - -“Absolutely not.” - -The girl seemed reassured, and Linda and Dot returned to their taxi, to -find a hotel where they could spend the night. - -“Did you ever hear of anything so queer in all your life?” demanded Dot. -“Or anything more pitiful?” - -“We’ll have to do something, Dot,” said Linda, thinking seriously. -“We’ll buy all the papers to-morrow and look for the names and -descriptions of missing persons. We’ve just got to find that kid’s -parents.” - -“If she has any.” - -“What makes you say that?” - -“The way she was dressed. As if nobody in the world cared a bit for -her.” - -“That’s sure. But she must live somewhere. She couldn’t exist in the -woods, on berries, or on that lonely stretch of country where we found -her.” - -“Well, let’s try to forget her for the time being,” urged Dot. “Here’s -the hotel, and I certainly am hungry.” - -“So am I. But I wish we could dress for dinner. Dot, we always ought to -carry some extra clothing on these trips, because we never know when -we’re going to need it.” - -“Oh, what’s the dif, Linda? These suits are becoming, so what do we -care?” - -They went to their room and took off their sweaters and helmets. When -they had washed their faces and combed their hair, they were so -presentable that no one even noticed them as they entered the dining -room. After all, it was a common sight to see girls in knickers. - -The dinner was delicious, and they ate it with great enjoyment, but -neither girl could get the accident out of her mind, or the pathetic -child—for she seemed like only a child to them, with her strange -superstition. So they decided, when they finished their meal, to call -two of the Milwaukee newspapers, and to give them the story, with their -own names as references. - -“And may we print yours and Miss Crowley’s pictures, Miss Carlton?” -asked the delighted reporter. “We have them on file, you know.” - -Linda groaned. - -“How is that going to help identify this girl?” she demanded. “It’s her -picture you ought to print.” - -“We would, if we had it. We’ll get it later. But your pictures will call -attention to the article.... However, we don’t wait for permission in a -case like this, Miss Carlton. You’ll just have to grin and bear it!” - - - - - Chapter II - The Lost Girl - - -When the young girl whom Linda and Dot had rescued opened her eyes in -the hospital the following day, it was a strange world which she looked -upon. It was as if she had been abruptly transported to another planet, -where her name and her past life were forgotten. She remembered her hurt -head, and the girls who had come down in the airplane, but her mind was -still an utter blank about the days and years that had gone before. - -Her forehead throbbed with pain as she tried vainly to think. It was -horrible, terrifying, to be stranded in an unfamiliar place like this, -without any money in her pockets, without any home to go to after she -was well. She pressed her fingers over her eyelids in an effort to bring -back something. But one memory only remained—the dreadful vision of a -ghost! - -Kind as her nurse tried to be, she seemed like only a human machine to -this unhappy child, who waited feverishly for the return of Linda -Carlton and Dorothy Crowley—her only friends in the whole world. - -About eleven o’clock they came, carrying a bunch of roses and a pile of -newspapers. The girl held out her arms in the pathetic appeal of a lost -child, and both Linda and Dot kissed her tenderly. - -“How’s the head this morning?” asked Dot, cheerfully, as she put the -flowers into a vase. - -“Oh, it’s better—but—” She glanced eagerly at the newspapers. “Have you -looked at those yet? Has—anybody—reported my loss?” - -“I’m afraid not, dear,” replied Linda, sympathetically. “Only ourselves. -But give them time. If you lived far in the country, as you surely must, -they perhaps couldn’t reach them. But when they read of the accident, -and see the description of you, they’re sure to come after you.” - -“You haven’t been able to remember yet who you are?” inquired Dot. - -The girl burst into tears; the strain of it all, in her weakened -condition, was too much for her. - -“No, I haven’t,” she sobbed. - -“Try to think about the house you lived in,” suggested Linda. “The room -you slept in—the dining room—the garden. Shut your eyes and imagine!” - -“When I shut my eyes, all that I can see is that ghost! No, no—I’m -afraid of darkness.” - -“Then try to remember your father or your mother. Their eyes—their -smiles—” put in Dot. - -“It’s no use. Oh, what shall I do? Where can I go after I leave this -hospital? I’m—I’m—the most ‘alone’ person in the whole world!” - -“But you still have us! We’ll take care of you,” offered Dot, -impulsively. “We’ll take you with us to Green Falls, where we’re -spending the summer, won’t we, Linda?” - -“Of course,” agreed her companion. - -The girl smiled happily, but only for a moment. - -“It’s wonderful of you—but I can’t stay. I’ll have to go somewhere -soon—and where shall it be?” - -“I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” said Linda brightly. “After you have a -visit with us, and get strong, we’ll get you some kind of job—taking -care of children or something. And you can be studying something to -support yourself. Stenography or typing—in case you can’t find your -parents. How would you like that?” - -“Fine! Only I don’t know what those words mean—Sten—sten——” - -Linda and Dot looked at each other and smiled. What could they do with a -girl like this? It was too much for them to solve the problem alone, but -perhaps Miss Carlton could offer a wise suggestion. - -The girl stretched out her arms helplessly. - -“Oh, I know I’m dumb!” she exclaimed. “But please don’t give me up!” - -Yet she wasn’t stupid, or uneducated, for she used perfect English, and -the girls noticed when she ate her lunch, which the attendant brought -her on a tray, that her table manners were of the best. She had -evidently been brought up correctly by someone. - -“We won’t!” Linda assured her. “We’ll come back for you to-morrow -morning, and if the doctor says that you can leave the hospital, we’ll -take you with us in our airplane.” She purposely didn’t use the word -“autogiro,” for fear of confusing her. - -“Now get a good rest this afternoon,” she added, “and look for us bright -and early in the morning.” - -It was a promise, of course, for Linda and Dot felt as if this young -girl was their special responsibility. A most inconvenient promise, -however, for it meant remaining another day in Milwaukee. - -“Are you sure that you have enough money, Linda?” asked Dot, as they -returned to their hotel for lunch. - -“Oh, plenty,” was the reply. “That’s not what’s worrying me. It’s Aunt -Emily. She won’t like it a bit. Still, she wouldn’t want us to leave a -helpless child. I’ll call her up, instead of sending another wire.” - -“Why not fly home across the lake this afternoon, and come back -to-morrow?” suggested Dot. - -“For two reasons. One is, I want to give the ‘Ladybug’ an inspection -to-day, and the other is, Aunt Emily might not want us to come back. She -might suggest that we just send the girl some money. But that poor -little lonely thing needs friendship more than she needs money.” - -“True. But how shall I put in my time while you go over the ‘Ladybug?’” - -“Take in a picture show. Or stop back at the hospital.... We can do -something together to-night.” - -The afternoon passed all too quickly for Linda at the airport, but when -she left at six o’clock, she had the reassurance that her autogiro was -in perfect condition. She had taken double precaution this time, for she -did not want to run the risk of the slightest mishap with this strange -forlorn girl in her care. - -Her aunt accepted the explanation which Linda offered that evening over -the telephone, interrupting her three times to ask her whether she and -Dot were surely all right. Early the next morning the girls sped to the -hospital in a taxi, to find their little charge bandaged and dressed, -ready for departure. - -“We’ll fly north along the shore of the lake—or maybe over the water, -since you love that, Dot—and land opposite Green Falls for our picnic -lunch. Then we’ll fly straight across Lake Michigan to home.” - -“Home!” repeated the little girl wistfully. How wonderful it must be to -have a home—a place to go to, where somebody cared for you! - -But by the time she and Dot had squeezed into the passenger’s cockpit of -the autogiro, she was smiling excitedly. She had been too much dazed on -the other flight to enjoy it, but now she found it a thrilling -adventure. Her head still hurt, but not enough to spoil her delight. How -lucky she was, she thought, to have found two wonderful friends like -these girls! - -“You are not afraid, dear?” shouted Dot, above the noise of the engine. - -“Oh, no! I love it!” Her black eyes were shining, and there was even a -faint color in her cheeks. - -“You have heard of airplanes before, even if you haven’t heard of -typewriters, haven’t you?” - -The girl nodded, with intelligence. - -Conversation was difficult, and the girls relapsed into silence, until -Linda brought the “Ladybug” down on the western shore of Lake Michigan, -presumably opposite Green Falls, where the girls spread out their picnic -lunch. Then it seemed as if all three of them wanted to talk at once. - -“We’ve got to get you a name,” announced Dot, as she unwrapped the -chicken sandwiches which she had secured from the hotel. “If you can’t -remember your own, we’ll have to give you one!” - -“Don’t you suppose you’d recall it if you heard it?” asked Linda. - -“I don’t know,” replied the girl, dubiously. - -“Mary? Elizabeth? Jane?” suggested Dot. - -“Dorothy? Elsie? Emma?” added Linda, at random. - -But the girl’s memory was still a blank. - -“Just give me one—anything you like!” she pleaded. - -“All right, that’ll be fun,” agreed Dot, cheerfully. “I always thought -it would be more exciting to name a real person than a doll.” She was -making an effort to keep up the girl’s spirits. “What’ll it be, Linda?” - -“Amy!” cried the latter. “After Amy Johnson, you know. I think she’s the -most courageous woman flyer in the whole world to-day! She went from -England to Australia all alone, and then went up into Siberia.” - -“She certainly ‘goes places,’” laughed Dot. “I like the name of ‘Amy,’ -too.” She turned to the girl. “Does it suit you?” - -“Why consult me?” returned the latter, with humor. “Did you ever hear of -anybody’s being asked about the name she got?” - -Linda and Dot both laughed, and Dot gave “Amy” a hug. - -“These sandwiches are wonderful!” exclaimed Linda. “Dot, you sure do -know how to get good food.” - -“Wait till you see the caramel cake I wheedled out of that chef at the -hotel. He had made it for a special party, but I convinced him he’d have -to make another.” - -“You’re marvelous!” cried her chum, admiringly. - -Little Amy simply couldn’t say anything. She had never tasted food like -this before—at least, if she had, she couldn’t remember. She ate -daintily, not greedily, for she wanted it to last a long time. - -“Amy had better stay with me at Green Falls,” decided Linda; “because -there’s more room at our bungalow.” She and her aunt lived alone -together, except for occasional visits from her father, who had a -business in New York, while Dorothy Crowley was a member of a large -family. - -“O.K. with me,” agreed the latter. Then, turning to Amy, “You’ll love -Linda’s Aunt Emily. She’s the most motherly soul.” - -“You’re sure it is all right for me to go with you?” asked the girl, -plaintively. - -“Of course it is!” Linda assured her. - -An hour and a half later, they arrived at the Green Falls Airport, and -were surprised to find Ralph Clavering, Linda’s most devoted admirer, -patiently waiting for them with his car. - -“Welcome to our city!” he cried, rushing towards the girls as they -climbed out of the autogiro. “Safe and sound!” Then he stopped, -surprised at the sight of the queerly-dressed child at their side. He -frowned, and muttered to himself, “Look what the cat—or rather, the -‘Ladybug’—dragged in!” But aloud he said nothing besides his greeting. - -Linda introduced her little friend as “Miss Johnson,” and they all got -into his car. - -“Kidnaped?” inquired Ralph, as he started the engine. - -“Who?” replied Linda. “Dot or Amy—or me?” - -“Oh, I don’t know. I always expect something like that when you don’t -show up when you’re expected—Linda, guess what? I’m getting a plane!” - -“An airplane!” repeated Linda, excitedly. “But you weren’t to have one -till you graduated from college.” - -“I know. But I convinced Dad I had to have one to follow you around on -your wild-goose chases, all over the globe.” - -“Now, Ralph, don’t be silly!” - -“It’s the honest truth. That’s the reason I’m getting one.” - -Linda blushed; she never could accustom herself to this wealthy young -man’s obvious devotion. His parents were millionaires, and all his life -Ralph had had everything he wanted. Until he met Linda Carlton. He had -asked her to marry him as soon as she graduated from High School, but -she had refused, saying that such a thing was out of the question until -he was through college. Besides, she was too much in love with her -“Ladybug” to be in love with any man. But Ralph went on asking at -regular intervals, just the same. - -“What kind?” she inquired. - -“An autogiro. I’m rather keen on them, and Dad and Mother think they’re -the safest, so they’re rooting for them, too.” - -“I think that’s perfect! And you have your pilot’s license, too.” Ralph -Clavering had taken instructions in flying the same time that Linda had, -more to be with her than because he was actually air-minded. But when -his father had refused him a plane of his own, he had lost his -enthusiasm. - -It was only a few minutes’ ride from the airport to the Carltons’ -bungalow. Miss Emily Carlton was waiting anxiously on the porch. - -“Linda dear!” she exclaimed, as her niece ran up the steps. “I was so -afraid something had happened.” - -“But I told you everything was all right last night, Aunt Emily!” - -“Yes, of course. But you never can tell what may happen in the -meantime.” - -Linda patted her arm reassuringly, and took hold of Amy’s hand. - -“This is Amy, Aunt Emily—the girl we rescued. We want to go upstairs -now, and change our clothing. I think Amy can wear some of my sports -things—they’d be short—And Ralph,” she added, turning to the young man, -“can’t you stay to dinner?” - -“No, thank you, I must get back. But there’s a dance over at Kit’s -to-night—may I come and get you?” Kit was his sister, one of the first -girls in Linda’s group to be married, soon after graduation from High -School. - -Linda hesitated, and looked inquiringly at Amy. She hated to go off and -leave her alone the first night, yet obviously she could not take her. - -“Yes, go, Miss Linda,” the girl urged her immediately. “I am so tired -that I want to go to bed soon after supper.” - -“O.K. then,” agreed Linda, as Dot and Ralph left together, and she -hurried upstairs with Amy. - -“Don’t call me ‘Miss Linda,’ Amy,” she said. “I’m only eighteen. And you -must be fourteen, aren’t you?” - -To her dismay the girl burst into tears. - -“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know anything—Linda.” - -“Well, don’t worry about it. It’ll be all right soon—everything will -come back to you.” - -Amy shuddered. - -“Maybe it would be better to forget. I told you about the ghost—and -though there isn’t anything else definite, I just have a horror of the -past. It’s vague——” - -“It’s the strangest thing the way you seem to use all sorts of words one -wouldn’t expect of a girl of your age,” interrupted her companion, “and -then don’t know what others mean. Like stenography and typewriting, for -instance.” - -“By the way, what are those things?” asked Amy, wiping away her sudden -tears. - -“Oh, business terms—I’ll explain later. Clothes are more important now. -We must hurry with our dressing, and get back to Aunt Emily—Let’s see—my -tennis dress ought to do——” - -It was a white pleated silk, quite short, and fitted Amy nicely. Linda -took time to curl the girl’s hair, and to put a ribbon around her head, -to hide the bandage. She was amazed to see how really attractive the -girl was, when she was dressed in becoming clothing. - -“The shoes don’t fit, but you can wear them for the rest of to-day,” she -concluded. “To-morrow we’ll drive into town—there aren’t any stores in -Green Falls—and get you some to fit.” - -“I don’t know why you do all this for me, Linda. I never did anything -for you!” - -“But you would if you could. And we love you, Amy. Aunt Emily does, too, -and you must think of us as your own family, until you find your -parents.” - -Linda was right about her aunt; the motherly woman took Amy right to her -heart, and when Linda left with Ralph soon after supper, for dances were -informal and began early in Green Falls, Miss Carlton was teaching the -young girl parchesi, and they were laughing and chatting like old -friends. - - - - - Chapter III - Planning the Treasure Hunt - - -“Who is this Cinderella you brought home, Linda?” asked Ralph, as the -young couple started for the party. “You sure fixed her up some since -this afternoon.” - -“She’s a girl we picked up in the road,” Linda explained. “Didn’t Aunt -Emily tell you why we were staying over in Milwaukee?” - -“No; only that some friend was in the hospital. I didn’t get the -details. All that I was interested in was when you’d be back.” - -Briefly, Linda told him the story of the accident and of the girl’s loss -of memory, adding that “Amy” was a fictitious name which they had given -her, until she should recall her own. - -“I mean to find her family if I have to search the whole United States!” -she concluded. - -“And if you have to give up your own summer vacation in the bargain,” -muttered Ralph, sulkily. “You would, Linda!” - -“But it’s exciting! Like reading a mystery story, you know.” - -“You’ll get into trouble, I warn you.” - -“If I do, I’ll get out again,” she returned, lightly. “I have a charmed -life.” - -“I wouldn’t count on that too much if I were you.” - -“Tell me who will be here to-night,” urged Linda, seeing that Ralph was -getting irritable over her newest adventure. - -“Only half a dozen couples, I believe. Mostly the old crowd—you and Dot -and Sue Emery and Sarah Wheeler—and those two married girls Kit is so -thick with—Madge Keen and Babs Macy.” - -“Why don’t you tell me which boys?” teased Linda, with a twinkle in her -eye. “Don’t you think I’m interested?” - -“I hoped you weren’t. Now that your friend Jackson Carter has gone back -South where he belongs, with that fascinating drawl of his, I rather -hoped I’d have you to myself.” - -“Well, I’m going to the party with you!” - -“Yes, but that doesn’t say it’ll be more than two minutes before some -fellow cuts in. Why in the name of peace and enjoyment they always -invite more fellows than girls to a party is something to make me -wonder.” - -“It’s to make us happy—to make us seem popular,” explained Linda. - -“Nobody has to make _you_ seem popular!” he returned, morosely. - -“Tell me the boys, Ralph!” she repeated. - -“Men, my child—not boys! Why, three of ’em are married. And the rest of -us would like to be,” he muttered, under his breath. - -But he refused to tell her; she’d find out soon enough for herself. Her -first discovery, when Ralph stopped his car at his sister’s, proved to -be one of her oldest friends, Harriman Smith, a young man whom she had -not seen for several months. He dashed down the steps to greet her. - -“Harry!” she cried, in delight, pressing his hand in genuine pleasure. -It was he who had stood by her, believed in her, when nobody else but -her chum, Louise Haydock, had thought she could fly the Atlantic Ocean. - -“Linda! It’s heaven to see you again!” he exclaimed. “Hello, Ralph,” he -added, shaking hands with her escort. “How’s tricks with you?” - -“O.K., Harry. When’d you get here?” - -“Half an hour ago. By plane.” - -“You have a plane?” demanded Linda. - -“No—be yourself, Linda! I’m a poor working man. No, I came with Kit’s -husband—Tom Hulbert. I have a couple of weeks’ vacation, and decided I’d -like to spend them with the old crowd. I’m staying with the Hulberts.” - -Linking arms, all three entered the bungalow together, which was much -larger and more luxurious than most of the cottages at Green Falls, for -Kit’s wealthy father, Mr. Clavering, had presented the young couple with -it soon after their marriage. A small orchestra of three pieces had been -hired for the dancing, to take the place of the usual radio music, and -the large living room was easily able to accommodate twice the number of -couples Kit had invited. - -As Ralph had surmised, although there were only seven girls, five extra -young men had been asked to the party. - -Tiny Kit Hulbert, dressed in a fairy-like dance costume of pale-green -chiffon, floated over to greet the newcomers. - -“I hear you’ve had another adventure, Linda,” she said. So timid herself -that she had given up learning to fly after a few feeble attempts, she -nevertheless had a great admiration for the other girl’s skill and -courage. - -“It isn’t finished yet,” replied Linda. “We’re in the middle of a -mystery. I’ll tell you all about it, Kit, when Ralph isn’t around. He’s -rather fed up.” - -“I’ll say I am. How soon can we dance, Sis?” asked the young man, -impatiently. - -“Right away,” agreed Kit, nodding to the violinist in the corner to -start the music. - -The supper, served informally on the big porch that evening, was early; -for the Hulberts had an exciting piece of news for their guests, and -they could hardly wait for the opportunity to tell it. As soon as -everybody was seated, Tom Hulbert, who was a lieutenant in the U. S. -Flying Corps, and an excellent pilot, called for attention. - -“Our next party is going to be a wow!” he began. - -“They always are,” interrupted Sue Emery, enthusiastically. - -Tom bowed. “Thank you, Miss Emery,” he said, formally. “But this is -absolutely different—entirely new! Kit’s father is giving us a treasure -hunt. By airplanes!” - -“Airplanes!” gasped everybody at once. - -Linda’s eyes shone with excitement. What a novel idea! - -“But most of us can’t go!” whined Sue Emery. “We’re not pilots!” - -“Sure you can. Mr. Clavering’s going to rent a lot of planes, so anybody -with a pilot’s license to fly can enter, and take a passenger. And -there’s a bully prize—Oh, I’m not going to tell what it is! And a dinner -at the end of the hunt—maybe a week-end party!” - -“Here’s where we girls with licenses score!” cried Dot, triumphantly. -“We can do the inviting, for once!” - -“As if you didn’t always do the picking and choosing!” muttered Ralph. -He would have his autogiro by that time, but, of course, Linda Carlton -wouldn’t go with him. Not an independent young lady like her! - -“I’m not worried,” drawled Jim Valier, Dot’s devoted boy friend, as he -reached for his sixth chicken-salad sandwich, although so far he had -only eaten one. “Dot’s got to take me—and I won’t have to do any work. -Just share the glory!” - -Dot’s chin went up in the air. - -“I believe I’ll ask a girl—they’re more reliable,” she retorted. “Sue, -will you go with me?” - -Sue whimpered; she would rather go with a man, but an invitation was an -invitation, and she didn’t want to be left out. - -“I’d hate to be so mean to Jim,” she replied. “You better let him go.” - -“You come with me, Miss Emery,” urged Frank Lawlor, the young man who -was seated at her right, and who was an experienced flyer. - -“Thank you—I’d love to, Mr. Lawlor,” she murmured, gratefully. - -“When is this exciting event to take place?” asked Harriman Smith, -wondering whether he would be there to enjoy it. - -“Next Saturday,” replied Tom Hulbert. “Entries must be in by Wednesday.” - -Linda was silent; suppose she were too busy looking up Amy’s parents to -take part! Oh, but that wouldn’t be fair! She simply couldn’t miss this. -Surely her Aunt Emily would look after Amy. - -As if reading her thoughts, Kit asked her whether she would be able to -go into it. - -“You better stay home, Linda,” advised Jim Valier. “So we get a chance -at the prize!” - -“Don’t be silly,” she replied. “You’ll all probably have speedier planes -than my ‘Ladybug.’” - -The plan was so fascinating that nobody wanted to start dancing again. -Instead they sat and talked and talked, until long past midnight. It was -after one o’clock when Linda finally reached home—a late hour for an -informal party at Green Falls. - -Her aunt was waiting up for her, but she did not seem to be at all -worried. As long as the autogiro was in the hangar, Miss Carlton felt -safe about Linda. - -Ralph left her at the door, and the girl made no mention of the treasure -hunt. Instead she inquired about Amy, and asked that she herself be -allowed to sleep late the following day. - -Remembering the request, Miss Carlton did not call her to the telephone -although it rang four times the next morning for Linda, before she was -awake. Two impatient young men—Harriman Smith and Ralph Clavering—each -called twice to no avail. - -Finally, about ten o’clock, Linda put in her appearance at the breakfast -table. Miss Carlton and Amy had long since finished theirs, and the -little girl was reading a story in the hammock on the porch. Miss -Carlton, however, came and sat with her niece as she ate, and gave her -the news. - -“Which boy are you going to call back, dear?” she asked. - -“Neither,” laughed Linda, as she complacently ate her cantaloupe. “I -haven’t time for young men to-day, Aunt Emily.” - -“You aren’t going anywhere in that autogiro, are you?” Try as she did, -the older woman could never keep the note of fear from her voice when an -airplane was mentioned. - -“No, no, Auntie. It’s about Amy. I want to do things for her. And I want -your help.” - -Miss Carlton heaved a sigh of relief. This was a different matter. - -“First we must get her some decent clothing. And then don’t you think we -ought to get her picture to the newspapers, and her description to the -radio, so that her people can come and get her?” - -“Of course! My, but it is sad, for a child like her to lose her memory. -It’s bad enough for an older person, but it just seems pitiful for -anyone her age.” - -“Oh, I haven’t a doubt but that it will come back,” said Linda, -hopefully. “The doctor at the hospital said it was probably only -temporary, from that blow on her head. Sometimes another blow will -restore it, he told me, but, of course, that wouldn’t be safe on account -of her cut. Publicity is the thing we need now.” - -“What will you do? Run in to town?” - -“No, I don’t think that tiny newspaper office would do any good. So I -thought if you’d take her and superintend getting the clothing, I’d take -my roadster and go on to Grand Rapids.” - -“Yes, that will suit me perfectly. Only why don’t you take Harry or -Ralph with you? I’d feel safer, for that’s quite a distance.” - -“All right, Aunt Emily. If either of them comes over in time.” - -“Either of whom?” demanded a masculine voice from the living room, as -the screen door banged. - -“Speaking of angels!” returned Linda, turning about to greet Ralph -Clavering. - -“It’s about time you got up, Lazy Betsy!” he teased. “Did your aunt tell -you I phoned twice?” - -“Yes. Sit down and have some coffee, Ralph. You must have rushed through -your breakfast!” - -“Rushed! I’ve been up since eight o’clock!” - -“Virtuous soul— But what’s on your mind now?” - -“The treasure hunt. Dad wants you to help Tom Hulbert and me with the -arrangements. It’s going to be ticklish business.” - -“What treasure hunt?” inquired Miss Carlton. She was usually more -delighted over Linda’s social affairs than the girl herself. - -“By airplanes!” replied Ralph, excitedly. “Isn’t that a whiz of an -idea?” - -“Oh, no! No!” gasped Miss Carlton, in terror. “No, Ralph! That is worse -than foolhardy! Oh, my boy, you’d all be killed!” - -“Not if we plan the thing thoroughly. Start at different places—good -fields to land——” - -“I beg you not to do it!” she wailed, prophetically. “Think of the -tragedy it may bring about! Whose idea was it, Ralph?” - -“Dad’s—and Kit’s.” - -Miss Carlton shook her head mournfully. “I thought your father had more -sense, Ralph. But does your mother approve?” - -“Mother’s away for a couple of weeks. Went to Bar Harbor to visit Aunt -Kate—her sister, you know. So naturally she won’t be consulted.” - -“I can never give my consent to it,” stated Miss Carlton, nervously. - -“Wait till we get our plans ready. You may change your mind—Now, Linda, -can you help me?” - -“I’m afraid not to-day, Ralph. I have to do things for Amy. Maybe -to-morrow.” - -“Too late,” he said, almost gruffly, as he rose and went to the door. “I -might have known you would have your own affairs. Never mind, I’ll get -Dot!” - -Linda went towards him and patted his arm. - -“Don’t be cross, Ralph. Think of the child’s parents. How frantic they -must be! I’ve just got to do something.” - -“Oh, I suppose you’re right. And noble. You always are!” - -“I don’t see why you bother with anybody you think so holy and -righteous,” remarked Linda, pulling down the corners of her mouth. - -“Now children, don’t quarrel,” put in Miss Carlton. “You can blame it on -me, Ralph. I refuse to let Linda have any part in this absurd treasure -hunt.” - -“Then what’s the use of having it?” demanded Ralph. - -“Very sensible conclusion,” agreed Miss Carlton. “Give it up, and plan a -nice picnic instead.” - -“A nice, old-fashioned one! And take our bicycles?” - -“You run along, Ralph,” said Linda, “and get Dot and Jim to help you. I -really must get ready to go to Grand Rapids!” - -So, putting the treasure hunt temporarily from her mind, she ran out to -the porch to tell Amy about her plans for the day. - - - - - Chapter IV - A Stranger at Green Falls - - -“Big doings to-day, Amy!” announced Linda, cheerfully, as Ralph -Clavering departed. “Come on—get ready!” - -“What?” demanded the girl, excitedly. “You haven’t heard from anybody -who—wants—me?” - -Her eagerness was pathetic, and Linda stooped over and kissed her. - -“No, there is no news as yet. But we are going to try to make some. I’m -going to take your picture and give it to the newspapers.” - -“Oh, I see!” Plainly, Amy was disappointed. “Do you really think it’s -any use, Linda? If there were anybody to claim me, wouldn’t they have -come three days ago?” - -“I don’t know—not necessarily. Suppose they didn’t read the newspapers?” - -“If they didn’t then, why should they now?” asked Amy, with keen logic. - -“Well, their friends might tell them. Besides, only our pictures—Dot’s -and mine—were in before, and now we’re putting in yours. And we’re -having it announced over the radio.” - -“What is a radio?” inquired Amy. - -“Come inside and I’ll show you. But wait, first let me get these -snapshots of you. Stand over there, and look pretty!” - -The girl smiled and did as she was told. To her knowledge she had never -seen a picture taken before. - -“It’s funny,” remarked Linda, as she took out her roll of films from the -camera, “that you remember how to read. You didn’t have any trouble -understanding that story, did you?” - -“Some,” confessed the girl. “There were lots of things I hadn’t heard -of. But I don’t think it’s my memory, Linda—I think I just never did -hear of those things.” - -“You must have lived in the country,” concluded the other. “Somewhere -around where we picked you up. I think maybe the best idea of all would -be to try to fly back to that spot, and hunt for a house. We’ll do that -next week, if Aunt Emily is willing.” - -“Next week! Linda, I feel as if I had no right to stay on and on here——” - -“Of course, you have. And you’re going to have a wonderful time to-day. -Aunt Emily is taking you into town to buy you some clothes.” - -“But I can’t pay for them!” - -“You’re not supposed to. They’re presents. Like Christmas presents. -You’ve heard of them, I suppose?” - -“Yes! Yes!” cried Amy, excitedly. “You hang up your -stocking—and—and—sometimes there are cookies——” - -Linda’s eyes shone. - -“You have a memory, Amy! You have! Think some more!” - -“I can’t,” sighed the girl. “That’s all.” - -“But something did come back! Run along and get ready now, for Aunt -Emily’s waiting—and I must answer that telephone.” - -The caller proved to be Harriman Smith, and Linda immediately told him -of her plans for the day, inviting him to go with her to Grand Rapids. - -Harry replied that he could be at the bungalow in five minutes, and he -was punctual to the dot. He did not tell Linda that the Hulberts’ cars -were both out, and that he had run the whole distance. - -“I sure am a lucky guy,” he said to Linda, as he got into the roadster -beside her; “to get ahead of Ralph Clavering like this.” - -“Oh, Ralph’s busy planning the treasure hunt,” she replied. “And that -reminds me, Harry, if I am allowed to take part in it, will you go as my -passenger?” - -“I’d be thrilled!” he cried enthusiastically. “But why do you say ‘if,’ -Linda? Surely after you flew the Atlantic Ocean alone, your Aunt Emily -couldn’t object to a trifle like a treasure hunt?” - -“I know; it doesn’t seem logical. But don’t forget that I flew to Paris -before I had all those disasters in the Okefenokee. She’s more timid -than ever now. And besides, I guess she doesn’t like the idea of the -hunt—all those planes going to the same place, with the danger of -collisions. And some of the flyers are only beginners.” - -“Who are planning to enter?” - -“I haven’t heard definitely. But, of course, Ralph and Dot and I will -all enter. And there are Tom Hulbert, and Madge Keen’s husband, and -Frank Lawlor. That’s six, at least. I don’t know whether there’ll be any -strangers or not. It’s just a Green Falls affair, but I suppose anybody -that Mr. Clavering knew could get in all right. I’m going to be -dreadfully disappointed if I can’t enter.” - -“You don’t really think there’s much chance?” - -“I’ll tell you what I’m counting on, Harry; that Daddy will come home, -and he’ll tell Aunt Emily to let me go. You know he’s the best sport -that ever was; he isn’t afraid of taking a few risks.” - -“And he has a lot of confidence in your flying,” added Harry. “That is -the trouble with your aunt, I believe. If she had ever gone up with you, -and had seen for herself what a marvelous pilot you are, she’d feel -differently.” - -“Thanks, Harry,” said Linda, pleased at the compliment, for when -Harriman Smith said anything, he meant it. He was not given to idle -praise. “I do so wish I could get her to go.” - -There were so many things to talk about—Linda’s summer adventure and her -new autogiro; Harry’s college course and the job he was holding on the -side, that they reached Grand Rapids before they knew it. Harry insisted -that they have the pictures developed while they ate their lunch, and -wait until afterwards to visit the newspapers. - -It was with great difficulty that Linda convinced the city editors that -they should publish Amy’s pictures instead of her own. But at last she -succeeded, and added a description of the man who had been the cause of -the accident. Harry visited a broadcasting station at the same time, -that the news might be given out over the radio. By three o’clock they -were ready to start back to Green Falls. - -Not satisfied with merely the day with Linda, Harry tried to date her -for the evening. - -“Will you go to the tennis matches with me after dinner?” he asked. “At -the Club, I mean. You’re not in them by any chance?” - -“Oh, no, I’m not nearly good enough. I was beaten early in the -tournament. But Dot Crowley’s in the finals, and so is Jim Valier.” - -“They always were good. Well, how about it, Linda? I’ll get a taxi, if -Tom doesn’t offer me his car. They’ll probably go over in Kit’s.” - -“Thank you, Harry, but I think I better not make any plans until I see -what Aunt Emily and Amy are doing. I left them last night—and I want to -be with them to-night. So you go with Tom and Kit, and if I can, I’ll -see you there.” - -“And promise me at least two dances?” - -“Oh, certainly,” she agreed. - -Fifteen minutes later she parked her car in the garage behind the -bungalow, and ran in to see what success Amy and her aunt had had. The -girl was dressed in everything new from head to foot; her hair, too, had -been cut and waved becomingly. She was dancing around the living room in -excited happiness. All her cares were forgotten for the time being, in -the joy her new clothing afforded her. - -“Don’t I look wonderful, Linda?” she cried. “Like a different girl? Miss -Carlton has been a real fairy godmother!” - -“You certainly do, Amy! Oh, Aunt Emily always knows just the right -things to buy!” - -The young girl’s eyes suddenly grew wistful, and she frowned. “I think, -Linda, that I must have been very poor, because I am sure I never had -clothes like this before.” - -“Your clothes were different, dear,” Linda admitted. “But you may not -have been poor. Perhaps it was only because you lived far out in the -country—away from the stores. And maybe your mother didn’t know how to -sew, or was an invalid——” - -“I don’t believe I have a mother,” replied Amy. “You couldn’t forget a -mother—like—like your Aunt Emily. No, I feel sure my mother is dead.” - -“Well, we’ll soon solve it all,” Linda reassured her, and proceeded to -recount to her what she and Harry had accomplished that afternoon. - -“Would you like to go to the Club to the tennis matches after dinner, -Amy?” she asked. - -“What kind of matches?” The girl looked inquiringly at an ash tray on -the table. - -“Not that kind of matches!” laughed Linda, following her gaze. “You know -what tennis is, don’t you?” - -Amy shook her head, and Linda explained as best she could. - -But though the girl knew nothing about the game, she was eager to go to -the Club, so that she could display her new clothing. Miss Carlton -arranged for an early dinner, and they all decided to drive over in -Linda’s roadster. - -Green Falls was a small resort, and Linda and her aunt knew practically -everyone there. As they seated themselves on the wide veranda which -overlooked the tournament court, they nodded and smiled to the other -spectators on all sides. Dot Crowley came out of the Clubhouse, and -stopped to ask Linda to wish her luck, for she was playing against Sarah -Wheeler in the girls’ finals. - -As she left them to take her place on the court, Lt. Hulbert came over -to the Carltons, bringing a stranger with him. The visitor was an -exceedingly attractive man of perhaps thirty-five, perfectly dressed, -obviously a person of wealth and distinction. Linda thought he might be -an ambassador, or perhaps a doctor or lawyer. - -“Linda,” said Tom Hulbert, “I want to present a gentleman who is very -anxious to meet you, who has heard of your wonderful exploits, and who -is something of a flyer himself. Miss Carlton, let me introduce Lord -Dudley, of England.” - -Linda blushingly held out her hand, and Tom proceeded to introduce the -titled foreigner to Miss Carlton. Not knowing Amy, he did not include -her, but he noticed that the man was looking at her. - -“I hear your praises sung wherever I go, Miss Carlton,” Lord Dudley -said, with an engaging smile. “Not only in your own country, but in -England, France,—even Germany. You are a very famous person.” - -“It is very kind of you to say that,” replied Linda, embarrassed as -usual at the praise. “But tell me about your own flying. Have you your -plane here?” - -“No, it’s being repaired—I left it in England. I drove up here in a -hired motor.” - -“It’s too bad you haven’t your plane,” said Linda. “For we are to have a -treasure hunt by airplane on Saturday.” She glanced shyly at her aunt, -who was frowning. “But you can use one of Mr. Clavering’s——” - -The tennis matches were to begin immediately, for Dot and Sarah were -shaking hands with formality, and the umpire was mounting his stand. So -Tom drew his friend away to the seats which Kitty was saving for them. - -“I’ve seen that man before!” cried Amy, excitedly. - -“Where? When?” demanded Linda, hopefully. Was another memory coming -back? - -“I don’t know.” - -“But if he had known you, he would have said something,” remarked Miss -Carlton. “I was going to introduce you, dear, but I didn’t get a -chance.” - -“Oh, that’s all right!” - -“He looks like Ronald Colman,” remarked Linda, after some thought. “Yes, -that’s it. You’ve seen him in the movies, Amy.” - -“What are movies?” asked the girl, to Linda’s and Miss Carlton’s -amazement. - -There was no time to explain, for the tennis match had begun, and Linda -was anxious not to miss a single play. But all the while she was -thinking of the titled Englishman whom she had just met; later in the -evening, when the dancing began, she unconsciously searched the room for -him. But he had evidently left early, for she did not see him again. - - - - - Chapter V - A Flying Engagement - - -At seven o’clock the following morning, just as the cook was putting on -her apron, the door bell of the Carltons’ bungalow rang sharply. - -“Beggar probably wants his breakfast,” the woman muttered, as she slowly -went to the door. But there were few beggars at Green Falls, and they -always came to the back door. - -A blond, freckle-faced young man, without any hat, stood on the porch, -grinning shyly. At the gate was the most dilapidated-looking Ford she -had ever seen. - -“Good morning,” he said, briskly, and the cook would never have -suspected from his bright, cheery tone that he had been driving all -night. “I’m a reporter from the Grand Rapids _Star_, and I want to see -Miss Linda Carlton just as soon as possible.” - -“Miss Linda ain’t seein’ no more reporters,” replied the woman, flatly. -“She seen enough a couple of weeks ago to last her the rest of her -life.” - -“But I want to help her,” insisted the young man. “Help her find the -lost child’s parents.” - -“Oh! That’s different. Come along in, and give me your card.” - -Smiling happily at his success, the young man entered the living room. - -“Had your breakfast?” - -“Why—er—I had some coffee in a thermos bottle.” - -“You could eat some?” - -“I’ll say I could!” - -“All right. Set down there and read the paper while I fix some. I don’t -want to wake Miss Linda jest yet.” - -The cook kept him waiting an hour, but she rewarded him with such a -breakfast as he could not have bought at the best hotel. The choicest -honeydew melon, griddle cakes, home-cooked ham, coffee, and even fried -potatoes. It made the young man think of the meals his mother cooked on -the farm. - -Just as he was finishing his second cup of coffee, Miss Carlton -appeared, followed immediately by Linda and Amy. - -The boy stood up and flushed a vivid red in a vain effort to murmur -apologies and explanations. It was plain to be seen that he was from the -country, and that this was his first newspaper job. - -“My name’s Michael O’Malley,” he finally said, producing a card from his -pocket. “And the paper is going to give me a tryout on this story; I can -stay as long as I like, provided I get something interesting.” He was -talking very fast now, almost as if he were afraid to stop, lest Miss -Carlton put him out. “You see, I’m crazy about detective stories, and -this seems like a chance to do some real sleuthin’. If we can only find -the young lady’s family, and run down that guy that ran her down!” - -Linda smiled. She couldn’t help liking the boy; he was so sincere, so -earnest, so eager to please. - -“Sit down again, Mr. O’Malley,” she said; “while we eat our breakfast, -we’ll talk it over.” - -“Thank you, Miss Carlton,” he breathed, reverently. He treated Linda as -if she were some sort of goddess. - -“And have some more griddle cakes,” urged Miss Carlton, hospitably. She, -too, liked the boy. - -He grinned. - -“You know, they taste exactly like my mother’s!” he exclaimed. “I never -found anybody who could make ’em like this except her. We lived on a -farm, you see—and there were five boys. And maybe my mother couldn’t -cook!” - -“Now,” continued Linda, after her aunt had seen to the boy’s wants, -“there really isn’t a whole lot to do. I’m sure we’ll get a phone call -from Amy’s parents to-day, for they’ll be crazy to get her back, and -must be watching the papers. The only ‘detective’ part of the story is -to find that man. After all, it probably was only an accident, but -still, he ought to be punished.” - -“What did he look like?” - -“Well, you see we were up in the air, and couldn’t get a very good look -at him. But he wore no hat, and he had an immense amount of gray -hair—and, I think, whiskers. I know it seems funny that a man his age -should be driving so fast.” - -“What kind of car was it?” demanded the reporter. - -“Gray—and open. But I couldn’t tell you the make, or anything more in -description. It all happened so quickly, and it shot away before we -could really see it.” - -“You didn’t even get the state or the license number?” - -“No, of course not.” - -Mr. O’Malley sighed. - -“Looks pretty hopeless. But do you mind if I stick around here to-day -till Miss Amy’s parents show up? I’d like to be on tap with that much of -the story.” - -“We’ll be glad to have you,” replied Miss Carlton, hospitably. “Stay -until to-morrow if you like, Mr. O’Malley, as our guest.” - -“Oh, thank you, Miss Carlton!” he answered gratefully. “It—you—make me -feel so at home, and I’ve been kinda homesick in Grand Rapids. And—would -you call me ‘Mike,’ please?” - -“Certainly, Mike,” agreed his hostess. - -“And I’ll see that you get the story of our treasure hunt for your -paper,” added Linda, generously. “A treasure hunt by airplane.” - -“Gee Whitakers!” cried the boy, enthusiastically. “That is something -new!” - -Miss Carlton frowned, but said nothing. Amy, too, was silent. She could -not be hopeful like the others of hearing from her parents, for she felt -sure that there were no parents to hear from. - -The telephone rang, and Linda jumped up eagerly, hoping that it meant -good news for Amy. To her amazement she heard the fascinating voice of -Lord Dudley at the other end of the wire. - -“Good morning, Great Aviatrix!” he said. “This is one of your many -admirers—Claude Dudley.” - -Linda flushed; this was going to be more exciting than news of Amy’s -family. - -“Good morning, Lord Dudley,” she replied. - -“I am going to ask you a big favor, Miss Carlton,” he said. “I have to -get back to Chicago to-day, and I was wondering whether you would take -me across Lake Michigan in your autogiro. We could lunch at the Lakeside -Inn—a place that I know to be particularly charming.” - -Linda’s heart beat rapidly; no young man had ever been able to thrill -her like this before. How flattered she was to have him call upon her! - -“I’d love to, Lord Dudley,” she replied, slowly. “But you must wait -until I ask my aunt’s permission.” - -“Well! Well!” he exclaimed, in amazement. “I didn’t know modern girls -did that any more!” - -Linda laughed. - -“This girl does. Will you hold the wire, Lord Dudley?” - -“Certainly, Miss Carlton. Your favor is well worth waiting for.” - -Linda put down the telephone and turned to her aunt, repeating the -conversation. - -“We don’t know anything about him,” remarked the older woman. “But he -seemed like a gentleman. And Tom Hulbert introduced him, so I guess he -is all right. If your autogiro is in perfect condition, I suppose I am -willing.” - -Linda turned to her young guest. - -“Do you mind if I go off, Amy?” she inquired. - -“Not a bit, Linda. I want you to have a good time.” - -So Linda returned to the telephone and promised to be ready at half-past -eleven. - -She would not admit to herself how thrilled she was, but she selected -her prettiest dress, and was ready for Lord Dudley some minutes before -his taxi arrived. She ran out on the porch to meet him. - -“We must keep the cab,” she said, as she shook hands with him, and -noticed that he was even better looking than she had thought, “in order -to get to the airport.” - -“Right,” he agreed, giving the necessary directions to the driver. - -“Now you must tell me all about yourself, Miss Carlton,” he said, as he -seated himself beside her in the cab. “I mean the things that haven’t -been in the papers.” - -“There really isn’t anything to tell,” replied Linda, modestly. “I’m -just an ordinary girl, with a high-school education and a year at a -ground school, where I earned my transport pilot’s license. The only -thrilling thing about me is my ‘Ladybug’—that’s the name of my -autogiro.” - -“I know something more thrilling than any of those things,” he said, -with his engaging smile. “Something the newspapers have never been able -to describe— Your flawless beauty!” - -Linda flushed to the lobes of her ears at the compliment; it didn’t seem -possible that a young man like this, who had been everywhere and met -thousands of beautiful girls, could find her so attractive. Yet there -was a note of sincerity in his low, deep voice that prevented any doubt. - -“I wish you would tell me about yourself, instead,” she urged, anxious -to change the subject. “About your family in England, and how you -happened to come to America.” - -“There isn’t much to tell about that, either,” he replied. “There is an -old castle at home, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t interest you. It’s so run -down. It needs lots of money spent on it. My father is an old man, and -it has been the dream of his life to see the castle in good order again, -with the gardens well kept, as they were in years gone by. So I have -come to America to try to make some money.” - -The smile which was usually on Lord Dudley’s lips had vanished, and his -eyes grew wistful. What a wonderful man he was, Linda thought, to put -his father’s wishes above everything else! - -“Here is the airport, Lord Dudley,” she announced. “We’ll have to -postpone our conversation until we get to the tea room. You can’t talk -in an autogiro.” - -“No; I realize that. But how interesting it will be. I have heard of -Cierva, the inventor, in England, and I even saw him once on one of my -trips to Spain, but I have never flown in an autogiro.” - -“You’ll get the thrill of your life!” Linda promised. - -“I got the thrill of my life last night,” he said, and Linda could not -help knowing that he was referring to his meeting her. - -She gave the “Ladybug” a hasty inspection, although the head mechanic at -the airport assured her that it was in perfect condition. Lord Dudley -shouted his admiration of its quick take-off into the air, and settled -himself comfortably for the beautiful flight over the lake. Linda, too, -found the trip delightful; in the dreamy mood that she was experiencing, -she was almost glad that they could not talk. Was it possible, she -wondered, that at last she had fallen in love? - -As Lord Dudley had promised, the Inn was charming, and the luncheon -excellent. Linda was sorry when it was over, for it meant parting from -her fascinating companion. - -“I can never thank you enough, Miss Carlton,” he said in a low tone, as -he took her hand into both of his for a moment. “And—may I come back -again?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed!” she answered, with eagerness. - -“When I do come back, I—I—will just have to ask you something—Linda, my -dear. I know I shouldn’t—I am a poor man—but—” He hesitated, and leaning -over, pressed a kiss on her hand. Then, without another word, he put her -into her autogiro. - -Her heart in a turmoil, Linda mechanically started her motor and flew -away. Lord Dudley’s meaning was clear, but what was the answer? Could -she possibly decide so quickly whether she loved him or not, whether she -was ready to give up everyone else for his sake, even her own country, -to cast her lot with his? It was too much to think about; she was -thankful when she reached home to be able to put the question aside in -favor of Amy’s problems. - -She ran up the steps hopefully, wondering whether there was any news, -and she found Amy and Mike in their bathing suits and rain coats, all -ready for a swim. - -“Haven’t you heard anything?” she demanded eagerly. “No phone calls?” - -“Only from other reporters,” sighed Mike, and Amy suddenly burst out -crying. - -“I must be an orphan,” she sobbed. “That is why you and Miss Emily seem -so wonderful to me, Linda. I am sure that I never knew anybody like you -in my past life.” - -“Don’t give up yet, dear. If you had been in an orphan asylum, the -authorities would have claimed you long ago. Maybe your family is poor, -and can’t get the money immediately. Please don’t cry—you don’t have to -make a pool of tears like Alice in Wonderland to swim in. There’s a -marvelous lake this side of the falls!” - -“Alice in Wonderland!” repeated Amy, slowly. “I’ve heard of her.” - -“Of course you have. I’ll hunt up a copy of the book, and see what it -recalls to you. Now if you wait five minutes for me, I’ll get into my -bathing suit and go along with you!” - -Fifteen minutes later the three young people parked the roadster at the -shore of the lake, and joined the others in bathing. Linda introduced -both Mike and Amy to everybody, so that the strangers felt quite at -home. - -Ralph Clavering immediately took possession of Linda. - -“Where were you to-day?” he demanded. “I expected you to play tennis -with me.” - -“I thought you were angry at me, Ralph,” she returned, demurely. - -“I was, but the worst part of it all is, I can never stay angry. Are you -going to enter the treasure hunt?” - -“I sort of hope so. Aunt Emily hasn’t said anything against it lately, -and I was flying to-day.” - -“Flying! Where?” - -“Across Lake Michigan.” - -“Alone?” This jealous young man always felt that he had a right to know -of all Linda’s engagements. - -“No; I took Lord Dudley across.” She tried to keep her tone -matter-of-fact. - -“How you girls fall for titles!” he almost sneered. “I don’t like the -man.” - -“Men never do admire handsome men,” Linda answered, slyly. - -“If you call him handsome!— Well, you have to give us to-morrow. Kit’s -expecting you to lunch.” - -“O.K.,” agreed the girl, disappearing with a swan dive into the lake. - - - - - Chapter VI - The Telegram - - -“I hear you have made a new conquest, Linda!” - -Tiny Kitty Hulbert, Ralph Clavering’s married sister, sat on the edge of -the diving board the following morning and talked to Linda, who was -watching the newspaper reporter, Mike O’Malley, trying to teach Amy to -swim. But the young girl was terribly frightened, and was not making -progress. - -Linda blushed and smiled. - -“I wouldn’t say that, exactly——” - -“But it’s true,” said Kitty. “I never saw anybody more thrilled than -Lord Dudley. He thinks you’re just about perfect.” - -“When did you see him?” asked Linda, trying to keep her voice calm. This -was Wednesday, the day after her flight across the lake, and -incidentally the last day for the contestants to register for the -treasure hunt. - -“Oh, we haven’t seen him since you did yesterday,” returned Kitty. “But -I heard about the flight before he left, and he seemed awfully excited. -Just like a kid of sixteen, in love for the first time.” - -Linda blushed; so other people had noticed it, too! She wondered if it -would be the talk of Green Falls. - -“Have you known him long, Kit?” she inquired. - -“No. One of Tom’s friends—John Kuhns—met him in a railroad station, just -after he had landed from England, and he seemed so sort of lost and -lonely that he entertained him. His family liked him so much that they -invited him to their summer place, and then suddenly changed their plans -and went abroad instead. So John asked Tom to look out for him, and that -is how we happen to be entertaining him at Green Falls. I was kind of -scared at the idea of royalty, but he seems just like anybody else.” - -“I wonder how old he is,” mused Linda, more to herself than to Kitty. - -“Too old for you, dear,” replied Kitty. She knew how much Ralph cared -for Linda, and she hated to see him suddenly cut out by a foreigner with -a title, charming as Lord Dudley was. “You’re not serious about him are -you, Linda?” - -“Oh, I like him,” replied the other. “I guess all the girls do— By the -way, Ralph invited me to your house to lunch to-day. Is that right?” - -“Yes indeed, I’m expecting you. And you know it’s the last chance to -register for the hunt. You’re entering, aren’t you?” - -“I hope to. I’m going to pin Aunt Emily to a definite answer before I -come over to-day. I must go in now, Kitty, for I see that Amy is tired -of swimming. She’ll want to go home in a minute.” - -“Haven’t her parents turned up yet?” - -“No, they hadn’t when we left.” - -“It seems queer.” - -“Yes, it does. I’m really worried about her now. If she could only -remember!” - -“Well, as long as your Aunt Emily is taking care of her, she’ll be all -right. Now go along—get your swim, and I’ll see you at one o’clock.” - -Linda dived into the water, but she did not swim long. Amy was standing -still, up to her neck, clinging nervously to Mike’s hands. Though the -sun and the air were warm, she seemed to be shaking all over. - -“Miss Amy’s scared to death,” announced Mike. “She acts like a person -who has never gotten over a drowning scare.” He turned to the girl. -“Have you ever been drowned, Miss Amy?” - -The girl burst out laughing at the absurdity of the question, and seemed -her normal self again. But she was glad that Linda suggested that they -all go home. - -They entered the house with the usual hope, a hope which was gradually -dying now, of hearing from Amy’s family. But Miss Carlton had to tell -them again that no one except her own friends had telephoned. Linda -hurried off to dress for the luncheon at Kit’s. - -“Where are you going, dear?” Miss Carlton asked her, half an hour later, -when her niece appeared in a new dress, a flowered chiffon, which she -would hardly have worn for lunch at home by themselves. - -“I’m going to Kitty’s, Aunt Emily. To help plan for the treasure hunt. -You—you don’t mind if I take part in it, do you? I have to let them know -to-day.” - -Miss Carlton sighed. - -“I suppose it would be unreasonable to try to keep you out,” she -admitted. “But I am so afraid of crashes with other planes. It is just -like driving a car—much safer where there is no other traffic, for you -never can tell what the other people will do.” - -“I know. But I’ll be careful, Aunt Emily. And Ralph and Kitty are so -anxious for me to go into it.” - -Miss Carlton weakened; as usual the mention of the Claverings had a -softening effect upon her. She liked Linda to be with them, to take part -in the social affairs of her young friends. - -“All right, dear. I agree, though I really don’t approve.” - -Linda kissed her. - -“But you never do approve, even if I only go up in the air for half an -hour,” she teased. - -“I thought I was growing used to it, till those awful things happened to -you in the Okefenokee Swamp.” - -“But it was thieves, not airplanes, that caused all the trouble. It -might have happened if I had been riding horseback.” - -“True. Have your own way, dear.” But Linda could tell by her voice that -she wasn’t angry. - -Ten minutes later Linda parked her roadster in front of Kit’s bungalow -and ran up the porch with the good news. Kit and Dot, Ralph and Mr. -Clavering were all sitting on the big couch hammock, poring over a map. - -“We have to fly over Lake Michigan!” announced Dot, proudly. “Isn’t that -marvelous?” - -“Perfect,” agreed Linda, glad that this hunt was not to be a “play” -flight of a few miles or so. A hundred miles as a beginning—that ought -to be thrilling. - -“The first landing is to be the Milwaukee airport,” said Mr. Clavering. -“That is all I am going to tell you. The seven planes are to leave Green -Falls at ten o’clock Saturday morning.” - -“Seven?” repeated Linda. “Who are the seven?” - -Fumbling in his pocket, Ralph produced a typewritten list. He read it -aloud. - -“1. Tom and Kitty Hulbert. - -2. Dot Crowley and Jim Valier——” - -“So you’re taking Jim after all!” interrupted Kit. “I thought you said -he was too lazy.” - -Dot smiled. - -“I guess I was only teasing,” she admitted. - -“To continue,” said Ralph. - -“3. Bert and Madge Keen. - -4. Frank Lawlor and Sue Emery. - -5. Joe Elliston and Sarah Wheeler——” - -“Joe Elliston!” cried Linda. “Since when has he become a flyer?” - -“He just received his private pilot’s license last week,” explained -Ralph. “He hasn’t a plane of his own, but Dad’s renting one for him.” - -“I guess I’m taking a chance,” remarked Mr. Clavering. “But the plane’s -insured.” - -“And you and I are the sixth and seventh, Linda,” concluded Ralph. “May -I ask who your passenger is to be?” - -“If you tell me who yours is,” she countered. - -“I am going alone.” - -“Oh, I see. Well, I’m taking Harry.” - -“Not Lord Dudley?” inquired the young man, with a gleam of jealousy. - -“Oh, no. I promised Harry.” - -“Lord Dudley thinks he’s going with you,” remarked Kitty. “He expects to -be back.” - -“Then why doesn’t he take a plane and enter,” sneered Ralph. “I’ll bet -he’s not so much of a flyer as he makes out to be.” - -“How you love him!” remarked Kitty, rising to greet Madge Keen, who was -the last of her guests to arrive. - -“Now come to luncheon,” added the young hostess, with a nod to the maid -who was waiting for the signal. “You must all be starved after your -swims.” - -A simple affair like this was always a party at Kitty Hulbert’s, for the -young matron had such beautiful things, such lovely flowers, such -trained servants that she enjoyed displaying them. The table was -arranged as elaborately as if a banquet were being served. - -As usual, Linda found herself seated next to Ralph, and she began to -talk to him immediately, to take his mind away from the subject of Lord -Dudley. - -“Has your autogiro come yet?” she inquired. - -“No, but it’ll be here to-morrow. Want to go up on a test flight with -me, Linda?” - -“Of course I do!” she replied eagerly. “I think it’s wonderful that -you’re getting it, before you even graduated from college.” - -“Now Linda, don’t rub it in,” replied the young man. Although he should -have completed his course at Harvard the preceding June, there had been -a condition in mathematics, which kept him from getting his degree. His -father had wanted him to go to summer school, but with his usual lazy -attitude towards life, Ralph had refused. He was just as well satisfied -that he did have to return in the fall; it would be more fun to hang -around college than to buckle down to his father’s business. - -“I didn’t want to be mean,” apologized Linda. “Only you know you weren’t -supposed to get a plane of your own till you graduated.” - -She stopped talking; Kitty was taking a telegram from the maid, and -glancing at Linda. What was it? For her? News of Amy—or a message from -her father? - -“This is for you, Linda,” said her hostess. “I do hope it isn’t bad -news.” - -“Maybe it’s something about Amy,” she said expectantly, and all eyes -were on her as she slit open the envelope. - -But as she read the message, a vivid blush spread over her face, and she -felt as if the others about the table must know what it contained. - -“Am returning to-night with Tom for my answer. Love. Claude.” - -“Why Linda! What’s happened?” demanded Dot, in surprise. - -“Nothing, nothing,” she murmured, in confusion. “Nothing’s wrong. -It’s—just a personal message.” - -“Not about Amy?” - -“No.” - -There was an embarrassed silence, and Kitty came to the rescue by -leading the conversation back to the subject of the treasure hunt. - -“I’m allowed to tell you this much about it,” she added. “Everybody -flies to Lake Winnebago after the hunt for a big celebration. Dad’s -rented an entire Inn for the week-end, and all our parents are invited -to be chaperons.” - -“And will the prize be awarded then?” asked Dot, more to keep the -conversation away from Linda than because she wanted to know. - -“No. The lucky pilot finds the prize for himself—after following the -directions he receives.” - -“You better say ‘she,’” remarked Ralph, “for I think it’s a great deal -more likely that Linda or Dot will get it, than any of us fellows.” - -Linda forced a smile, but her mind was not on the conversation. Even the -treasure hunt had lost its interest; she longed to get home, where she -could be alone to think things out. - -The party broke up at last, and she managed to get away without even an -explanation to Dot of the mysterious contents of the telegram. - -She paused in the living room of her own bungalow only long enough to -give Mike O’Malley the facts and the names of the contestants in the -hunt, for the young man was returning to Grand Rapids. With a sigh of -relief, she rushed up to her own room, and locked the door, there to try -to come to some decision. - -But the conclusion she came to was not at all to Lord Dudley’s liking, -as he learned to his dismay after supper, when he came over to take her -canoeing. - -“My plan is this, Linda dear,” he said, as they pushed off from the -shore: “Take me as your passenger in the hunt on Saturday—win the prize, -as, of course, you will—and instead of returning, simply elope in the -autogiro. We can wire your aunt from the nearest city, wherever that -happens to be, when we are married. Doesn’t the romance of that appeal -to you?” he asked, rapturously. - -Linda slowly shook her head. - -“I couldn’t, Lord Dudley——” she began. - -“Please call me ‘Claude!’” he pleaded. - -She smiled. - -“Well, then—Claude—I couldn’t. First of all, I’ve promised to take -Harriman Smith on the flight——” - -“Shucks!” he interrupted, abandoning his usual dignity. - -“And besides, I couldn’t be so mean to Aunt Emily. She would hate it—and -she’d have a right to. No, Claude, I’m not willing to marry you on so -short an acquaintance. A year from now—or possibly six months—I don’t -know.” - -The man stopped paddling and regarded her helplessly. - -“It’s because I’ve told you I’m only a poor man,” he said, thinking -immediately that money had something to do with her refusal. “And you’re -an heiress!” - -Linda opened her eyes wide in amazement. - -“What makes you think I’m an heiress, Lord Dudley?” she asked, -forgetting to use his first name. “Really—we’re not rich.” - -“But the newspapers said you were. And that big prize you won, flying -the Atlantic alone——” - -The man’s surprise was evidently as great as Linda’s. - -“Yes, I have that—invested in bonds. But $25,000 isn’t a fortune. And I -haven’t anything else, except the money I sold my Bellanca for, which -Daddy put into a trust fund for me, in case his business fails. No, Lord -Dudley, I really expect to earn my own living.” - -“I see,” he replied, and he could not keep the bitter disappointment out -of his tone. “That is why we had better not risk it?” - -He seemed content to leave it at that, and Linda was silent. As a matter -of fact, money had never entered into her consideration of the marriage. -The idea of leaving her aunt, her friends—especially Harry and Dot, and -even Ralph—to go to a strange country had been a much more vital -drawback. Charming as he was, Lord Dudley was only a stranger. - -“Let’s forget it, and talk about something else,” she suggested, -quietly. “Tell me why you don’t go into the treasure hunt yourself. It’s -going to be lots of fun.” - -“I’m too busy,” he replied irritably, as one might speak to a child. “I -have to get back to Chicago early to-morrow morning.” - -“In that case,” concluded Linda, “hadn’t we better paddle back home -now?” - -Without any reply the Englishman turned the canoe about and silently -made for the shore. It was only half-past nine when he left her at the -steps of her bungalow, refusing her invitation to come in to see her -Aunt Emily. - -“And that is the end of him,” Linda thought as she went quickly to bed, -little imagining that she would ever see him again. - - - - - Chapter VII - The Widow in Black - - -“Linda, it’s come! My autogiro!” shrieked Ralph Clavering, bursting into -the Carltons’ bungalow, without even waiting to knock. “And I’ve had her -up already! The man gave me a lesson!” - -Linda almost fell down the steps in her wild excitement at this piece of -news. Another autogiro in Green Falls! Her “Ladybug’s” twin! - -“Wonderful! Great!” she cried, seizing both his hands and executing a -dance. “In plenty of time for the treasure hunt.” - -“Yes. Don’t forget that you promised to go up with me this afternoon!” - -“Try and keep me out!” she replied. “I just can’t wait. I don’t even -care about lunch, if you’ll just give me time to get into my flying -suit——” - -“What’s this? What’s this?” demanded Miss Emily Carlton, entering the -living room with Amy at her heels. “You’re not going to go without your -lunch, Linda!” - -“Then may we have ours right away?” pleaded her niece. “Ralph and I, I -mean?” - -“Yes, I suppose so. Only do be careful, Linda, with a new plane. Are you -quite sure all the parts are there?” - -Ralph smiled. - -“The autogiro couldn’t have arrived safely, Miss Carlton, if it hadn’t -been perfect. You see they don’t deliver planes in trucks—they fly ’em!” - -“All right, then,” agreed the older woman, grudgingly. “Then I’ll go and -see about lunch.” - -It was a thrilling afternoon for Linda, and even more pleasant for -Ralph, in the possession of his first flying machine. Together they went -over to the airport and took the new autogiro into the skies, first with -Linda, then with Ralph at the controls. In the joy of flying Linda -forgot for the time being all about the queer experience of the -preceding day with Lord Dudley. She was Linda Carlton the aviatrix -to-day, interested in nothing but aviation. - -She even forgot about Amy until she returned to the bungalow at -supper-time, and found the little girl waiting wistfully on the porch -all alone. Linda knew from her expression that no one had telephoned. - -“Nobody cares about me except the newspaper reporters,” she remarked the -following day—the Friday before the treasure hunt—when still nothing had -happened, and no one had come to claim her. “And even they are beginning -to lose interest.” - -“Not Mike O’Malley!” replied Linda, cheerfully. “I had a letter from him -to-day—he’s arriving this morning. He expects to drive that battered -Ford of his over to Lake Winnebago, to be in at the finish of the hunt.” - -Amy sighed; she had not been included in the plans for the event, -although Miss Carlton had been invited for the week-end at the Inn. The -girl would have to be left in care of Anna, Miss Carlton’s competent -cook. - -“I wish Mike would stay here with me,” said the girl. She didn’t add -that she would be lonely; it wouldn’t be grateful to these wonderful -people who were doing so much for her. - -“Mike has work to do for his paper,” replied Linda. - -Scarcely had she finished the sentence when the Ford stopped at the -gate, and the young man, sunburned and grinning, jumped out. He felt -almost as if he were coming home, to be back again at the Carltons’. - -“Hello, everybody!” he cried merrily. “Here I am—all ready for the big -hunt!” - -“It’s more than I am,” replied Linda. “I’ve got to spend the whole day -going over the ‘Ladybug.’ But come on in, Mike—I’ll get you something to -eat. Of course, you’re hungry?” - -“You said it!” - -“And as soon as you finish eating, you better take Amy swimming. Aunt -Emily went shopping, and I have to go to the airport, so I’ll be glad if -you can keep Amy from being lonely.” - -“O.K. with me,” he agreed, following Linda into the dining room. “By the -way, Miss Carlton, any change in plans, or contestants, for the treasure -hunt?” - -“Not that I know of,” she replied, as she hunted some buns and milk for -the boy, who ate hungrily, as usual. - -Suddenly he stopped eating, and peering towards the living room, -listened intently. - -“Do my ears deceive me, or is somebody snitching my Lizzie?” He jumped -up and ran to the living-room window. - -“No, I think that’s the station taxicab,” replied Linda. “Its engine -sounds like a boiler factory.” - -“Almost as loud as an airplane’s!” teased Mike. - -“Who is it, Linda? Who is that getting out of the cab?” demanded Amy -holding the other girl’s arm tensely. “Do you know her?” - -“No,” replied Linda, as she watched a woman in black who was coming up -the porch steps. “She’s a stranger to me—oh—maybe—Amy, do you remember -her?” She peered anxiously into the younger girl’s face. - -The latter shook her head sorrowfully. - -“No, I don’t. Not a glimmer—not even a vague memory, like I had when I -saw that man at the tennis matches.” - -“What man?” - -“Lord Somebody——” - -“Oh! Lord Dudley. But you saw him afterwards. He was here——” - -“No, I never happened to be around. And I couldn’t remember anything -about him anyway. But I feel positive I never saw this woman.” - -The girls were standing close together, Amy still clinging to Linda’s -arm, when Mike opened the screen door to the stranger’s knock. - -The woman hesitated a moment, and stepped inside, looking quickly about -the room. With a bright smile of recognition, she came over to Amy. - -“Helen darling!” she exclaimed, pushing Linda aside and kissing Amy -gushingly. “Oh, I’m so thankful to have you safe!” - -Tears came to Amy’s eyes, but she could not pretend that she remembered -the woman. - -“Who—are you?” she stammered. - -The woman looked shocked. - -“Helen! Can’t you remember me? I am your Aunt Elsie—I’ve cared for you -ever since your mother died. Oh, surely, dear—” She looked helplessly at -Linda. - -“Helen—we call her ‘Amy’—has lost her memory,” explained the latter. -“You see she was hit on the back of the head by a car. But surely you -read about it in the papers?” - -“Yes, yes. But I thought that she would recognize me,” wailed the woman -hysterically, wiping tears from her eyes. “She disappeared about two -weeks ago—we live in a little town in Montana—and I was almost crazy -with fear. Then I read about this girl being hit by something—it was an -airplane, wasn’t it?—and I came on to Grand Rapids, and a newspaper man -there showed me the picture.” - -Mike swelled with pride. That must have been his newspaper! - -“It was a car she was hit by,” corrected Linda. “An airplane rescued -her.” - -“You don’t say!” exclaimed the woman. “I heard it the other way about. -Well, we’ll prove that later. Now, come along, Helen.” - -But anxious as the girl had been for people of her own to claim her, now -that this stranger had done so, she was afraid to go. She did not like -the woman. - -“What is my other name?” she questioned, without making any move to obey -her. - -“Tower—Helen Tower. I am Mrs. Fishberry. Can’t you possibly remember, -dear?” - -The girl shook her head. - -“Couldn’t I stay here a little longer—Mrs. Fishberry?” she asked. - -“Certainly not.” The woman looked annoyed. - -Amy clung to Linda, her whole frame shaking violently. - -“She must have been unkind to me before,” she sobbed. “You know I felt -that there was something to be afraid of in my past life. Oh, Linda, -please keep me till that doctor who is treating me can make me well! -I’ll work and repay all you do for me!” - -“Of course, we’ll be glad to, Amy, dear,” replied Linda, reassuringly. -“Just so long as you’re content to stay!” - -“That is impossible,” interrupted Mrs. Fishberry. “I cannot allow it for -a minute, and will bring legal proceedings if you try to steal this -child! Come, Helen—the taxi’s waited long enough!” - -Reluctantly Amy started to obey, when Mike O’Malley stepped forward and -held up his hand like a traffic cop. - -“Just a minute! Just a minute!” he said. - -All eyes turned towards him instantly. - -“You spoke of legal proceedings, Mrs. Fishmarket, or whatever your name -is—what legal proofs have you that the girl belongs to you?” - -The woman winced in surprise, and Amy and Linda looked at Mike with -admiration. How clever of him to think of that! - -The stranger drew herself up haughtily. - -“I confess I did not bring legal proofs,” she said. “I thought that -after sacrificing the best years of my life to bringing up Helen, that -she would know me, and want to come to me. But it seems that I cannot -expect love or gratitude.” - -“Well, you can’t expect us to turn her over to a person she dislikes, -unless that person has a right to her,” returned Linda. - -“Very well,” concluded the other. “I’ll go. But I’ll be back with the -proofs. And you are going to be sorry for your insolence, Miss Linda -Carlton!” - -With this final remark, she turned and left the house. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Mike, wiping his forehead. “She’s a hot one. But I -think there’s something fishy about her, besides her name. I don’t -believe she’s your aunt at all, Helen.” - -“Don’t call me that!” pleaded the girl. “That name means nothing to me, -and I am used to being called ‘Amy’ now.” - -“All right, dear,” agreed Linda. “Now don’t think any more about it. -You’ll be my adopted sister, for as long as you like—” She turned to the -boy, “Mike, you are a bright man—I certainly am thankful we had you -here!” - -The young man blushed vividly over his freckles, and suggested that they -go on with their swim as they had planned. - -Drying her eyes, Amy ran off to get into her suit, but Linda remained -some minutes where she was, thinking. It was queer—terribly queer. The -woman was so unlike Amy, so different a type, so common—so really -vulgar. Yet Amy was one of the sweetest, most refined little girls Linda -had ever met; she might almost have been brought up by her own Aunt -Emily, from the training she showed. Yet if the woman weren’t a relation -what could she possibly want with Amy? The child was obviously poor; -what could be the reason, unless it were love? - -Linda sighed; the problem was too much for her. So, as she often did -with other difficulties, she put it aside while she flung herself -wholeheartedly into the inspection of her autogiro. - -Dressed in overalls, and covered with grease, but satisfied that her -afternoon’s work had been worthwhile, she returned to the house just in -time for supper. She parked her roadster in the garage and dashed into -the house, hoping to be able to get to her own room to dress before -anyone saw her. But she was unsuccessful; Harriman Smith was waiting for -her in the living room. - -“Hello, Harry!” she exclaimed, laughing. “Don’t look at me! I’m a sight. -But if you’ll just give me fifteen minutes——” - -“You look fine, Linda!” protested the boy, thinking that her blue -overalls were becoming and that her hair was all the more attractive -when it blew around her face. “You see,” he continued, talking rapidly, -“I’m in a hurry. I’m here because I have bad news—at least bad for me, -though it will be good news for some other lucky fellow. I have to go -back to work to-night, and that means I can’t go in the treasure hunt -with you to-morrow.” - -“Oh, I’m so sorry, Harry!” she exclaimed, with genuine regret. - -“Another fellow in the company got sick, and so they just had to recall -me,” he explained. “I shouldn’t have cared so much if it had happened -Monday, but I was looking forward to this affair a great deal.” - -“I’m awfully disappointed, too,” said Linda, wondering whether she would -go alone or ask somebody else. - -“Thanks, Linda—I really appreciate that. When there is a whole stag line -just dying for the honor— But Linda, may I ask a favor?” - -“Why, yes, certainly, Harry.” - -“Don’t take Lord What’s-his-name in my place. Anybody but him!” - -“Why?” asked Linda in surprise, not that she had the slightest idea of -doing any such thing, but because she wanted to know Harry’s reason. -Unlike Ralph Clavering, Harriman Smith never stooped to petty jealousy. - -“Well—I want to be fair, but—there’s something slimy about that man.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Oh, he’s too smooth. None of us fellows like him. It’s not because he’s -an Englishman—I’ve known several of them, and thought them O.K., -but—well—he just doesn’t click with me. So will you take somebody else?” - -Linda smiled. - -“I wouldn’t take Lord Dudley anyway, Harry, because he has gone away,” -she replied. “But I really think you’re unfair about him. It’s because -he’s a lot older than all you boys that he seems so different. He’s -halfway between us and our parents. That sort of makes him a different -generation.” - -“You do like him, don’t you, Linda?” persisted the young man, keeping -his eyes fastened on her, fearing her answer. - -Linda shrugged her shoulders. - -“You needn’t worry, Harry,” she said. She was silent a moment, thinking -of something different. “I know what I’ll do!” she cried. “I’ll take Amy -with me!” - -“Amy!” - -“Yes. The kid is crazy about planes. She’s afraid of a lot of things, -like the water, and the dark, and a strange woman who came here to-day, -but she adores flying. And she hates to be left alone.” - -“Well, that’s O.K. with me!” exclaimed Harry, with a sigh of relief. It -was better than he had expected. “Now I must say good-by, Linda. I just -have time to get supper and catch my train.” - -Linda hurried into her bath as soon as the young man left, and in half -an hour she was ready for supper, when she told Amy her good fortune -about being included in the hunt. The girl was so delighted that she -almost forgot the unpleasant experience of the morning. But Miss -Carlton, who had listened gravely to the story when she returned from -her shopping trip, was worried. - - - - - Chapter VIII - Amy’s Relatives - - -The day after Mrs. Fishberry’s visit to the Carlton bungalow, the woman -stepped off the train at Chicago and took a taxicab to an apartment -house in the center of that city. Ringing the bell three times, she was -finally admitted by a man about her own age. - -“Hello, Ed,” was her greeting. - -“Well, Elsie,” he said, questioningly, as she drew off her gloves and -seated herself in a large leather chair. The apartment was obviously -that of a bachelor, furnished by the hotel, in a style that one would -expect to appeal to a man. - -“Did you see the kid?” he asked, as he lighted a cigarette. - -“Yeah. But she didn’t like me. Claimed she never saw me before, and that -I’m not her real aunt.” - -“Well, of course, you aren’t,” he observed, in a matter of fact tone. - -“No, but I will be soon—when you and I are married. You’re surely her -uncle, aren’t you?” - -“Yeah. No doubt about that.” - -“Well, then——” - -“We won’t be married till we make sure we get the money!” he announced, -firmly. - -The woman looked sulky. - -“You’ve got the money, haven’t you?” she demanded. “The girl’s father is -dead, isn’t he?” - -“Listen, Elsie,” he said, irritably. “I’ve told you about this before, -but you can’t seem to get it through your thick head. There were two of -us boys, and the old man. My mother died young. Well, I was supposed to -be a ‘bad egg,’ but my brother was everything my father admired. That’s -the kid’s father, you see. He married early, but soon after the child -was born he and his wife were killed in an automobile accident. So, of -course, Dad—the kid’s grandfather—took her to raise.” - -“But I’ve heard all that!” interrupted Mrs. Fishberry. - -“Sure you have. But you don’t understand about the old man’s money. It -seems he left a will hidden in the house, and nobody could find it. And -I happen to know that he meant all his money to go to the kid, and not a -cent to me.” - -He smiled, in a way that was always fascinating to women, and Elsie -Fishberry smiled, too. How clever he was! - -“Lucky thing for me,” he continued, “that the will was lost! I might -have had to work all these years!” - -“Well, you got the money!” she concluded, happily. “So it beats me why -you want more, when the old man left a hundred thousand dollars!” - -Ed frowned impatiently. - -“I tell you I haven’t got it, Elsie! Why can’t you believe me?” - -“Then how is it that you live in luxury while that kid and her nurse -almost starved in that old house?” - -“Because a Trust Company still keeps charge of the bonds. They won’t -hand ’em over to me till the girl dies, or till the old man’s will is -found. But they give me the income, and I’m supposed to let the nurse -have some of it to take care of the kid.” - -The woman laughed harshly. - -“Did you ever give her a cent?” - -“Yes. You’d be surprised. I visited the old place two or three times and -gave the woman five dollars. Once the kid almost drowned in the Fox -River, when I was there.” - -“I guess you didn’t do anything to save her!” laughed Mrs. Fishberry. - -“No, I can’t say that I did. It would have been easier for me if she had -died. But a couple of boys happened along and fished her out.” - -“Didn’t she yell for help?” - -“Sure. But I pretended I was deaf. And that nurse really is deaf—she’s -so old. About eighty, I figured. She took care of me and my brother—the -kid’s father—when we were children.” - -“And where is that nurse now?” - -The man shrugged his shoulders. - -“Maybe at home—maybe out looking for the kid.” - -“That reminds me what I specially wanted to tell you,” remarked Mrs. -Fishberry. “So long as they won’t believe I’m the child’s aunt—they call -her ‘Amy,’ you know—we’ve got to dig up some pictures and records to -prove it.” - -“You mean _you’ve_ got to dig them up—at the old house,” corrected Ed. -“I’m not going near the place till Monday, and then I’m going to set it -on fire.” - -“Set it on fire!” exclaimed the other, in horror. - -“Sure. If the Trust Company knows that the place is burned, they will -give up all hope of finding the will, and hand out the old man’s bonds -to me. After all, I’m the real heir. I’m the son, and this kid is only a -granddaughter, even if Dad did like her better than me.” - -“You’re a wise one,” remarked Mrs. Fishberry, with admiration. “But -suppose that old nurse happens to be inside—and catches you?” - -“I’ve thought of that. I’m going disguised as an old man, and I expect -to work at night, anyway. Don’t worry, Elsie—I’m not going to bungle -this— But you get those pictures before Monday—they ought to be in the -family Bible and the album on the parlor table. I’ll map out the -directions how to get to the house.” - -“Suppose the nurse is there?” - -“If she is, don’t say anything about the kid. Just tell her that I sent -you for the stuff. After all, I’ve got a right to ’em.” - -“And if she isn’t there, how’ll I get in?” - -“I’ll give you my key.” - -The woman was silent for a moment, thinking rapidly. - -“Listen, Ed,” she said, finally, “if you’re going to get all that money -in bonds from your father’s estate, let’s give up this other scheme. -It’s not worth it.” - -The man jumped up angrily. - -“Not worth it!” he snarled, and his face was far from attractive now. -“Not worth it for twenty-five thousand dollars!” - -“We may not get it,” she whimpered. - -“Oh, yeah? Well, if we don’t, it’ll be your fault! Because you balled up -the works. Listen, Elsie, did you do what I asked when you were at the -Carltons’? Suggest that you believed it was Linda Carlton hit the kid -with her autogiro, and not a car?” - -“Yeah. I did. But I don’t believe they hardly took it in.” - -“Linda Carlton’ll take it in when we sue her for damages. I think maybe -we better ask fifty thousand, and then we’ll be sure to get -twenty-five.” - -“Are you sure Linda has twenty-five thousand?” - -“Positive. Didn’t she get that for her ocean flight?” - -“Sure. But maybe she blew it in on clothes,” suggested the woman. - -“Somehow I don’t believe she did,” replied Ed, with a knowing smile. -Then, abruptly he frowned. “Elsie, you’ve got to get hold of that kid -and take her away somewheres—pretend it’s her old home. It’s a lucky -break for us that she lost her memory.” - -“I’ll say so.” - -Suddenly Mrs. Fishberry jumped up and darted over to her host’s chair, -seating herself on the arm. - -“Listen, Ed,” she said, coyly taking his hand, “have you thought that -we’ve got to be married before this suit comes into court, if you don’t -want to appear in it? If I sue for damages, I’ve got to be the child’s -real aunt.” - -The man laughed. - -“You win, Elsie! O.K. with me. You get those pictures by Sunday, and the -kid too, and I’ll get the license. We’ll get married Monday morning.” - -Mrs. Fishberry stood up, satisfied. She had won everything she wanted. -The plan was simple; she would go out in the country to that old house -on the Fox River on Saturday, and get her pictures and records. On -Sunday she would take them to the Carltons’, and demand that the young -girl come away with her. She would return to Chicago and put the child -into an insane asylum, from which there would be no hope of escape. On -Monday, Mrs. Fishberry would be married to Ed Tower, and after the old -house was burned to the ground, they would go on their honeymoon. When -they returned, they would collect the small fortune from the Trust -Company and proceed to sue Miss Linda Carlton for the sum of fifty -thousand dollars! - -She did not see a single flaw in the plan, for if the young girl was in -an asylum, there would be no one to protest. - - - - - Chapter IX - The Take-Off - - -“I think Mr. Clavering is too optimistic,” remarked Miss Carlton at the -breakfast table Saturday morning. “It doesn’t seem possible to me that -all seven planes will come through that treasure hunt without any -mishaps. And if someone is injured, nobody would feel like having a -week-end party at that Inn.” - -“Nothing’s going to happen, Aunt Emily,” Linda replied, her eyes -sparkling with excitement. She and Amy were both dressed for the flight, -and anxious to get off. - -Miss Carlton rose from the table and kissed her niece good-by. She and -half a dozen of the older folks were going by boat across Lake Michigan, -and then on by automobile to Lake Winnebago, where the party was to be -held. - -“I hope you win, dear,” she said. “And don’t forget to take the lunch -Anna has packed for you.” - -“We’ll see you to-night, Auntie,” returned Linda. “At the Inn.” - -“I sincerely hope so,” answered the other, a little doubtfully. - -In fairness to the contestants, Mr. Clavering had arranged that the -planes start from different places, so that they would not have to wait -long in turn for their take-offs. Linda and Ralph were to go early to -the Green Falls airport to fly their autogiros up the shore, to wait -until ten o’clock, the appointed time. Tom Hulbert and Frank Lawlor were -to motor to a town a short distance from Green Falls, where their planes -were in readiness, while Joe Elliston, Dot Crowley, and Bert Keen were -all to leave from the Green Falls airport. - -These last three pilots, with their passengers, were waiting at the -airport when Linda, Ralph, and Amy drove over about half-past nine. - -“Hurry up and get those windmills out of the way!” ordered Joe Elliston. -“They clutter up the place.” - -“And be sure you don’t cheat!” remarked Sarah Wheeler. “Wait till ten -o’clock before you start.” - -“As if five or ten minutes would make any difference,” replied Ralph. -“The victor will probably win by hours, not minutes.” - -“I hope there won’t be a thunderstorm,” observed Madge Keen, who was -flying with her husband. “It certainly is hot.” - -“I’m dropping out if anything like that happens,” said Sarah flatly. -“I’m not taking chances.” - -Joe looked a little doubtfully at the sky, although the sun was shining -brightly. But, being an amateur, he was nervous, although he had been -lucky enough to secure a Fleet, which was the kind of plane he had used -for his lessons. - -Linda put Amy into the autogiro, and started her motor. How smoothly it -was running! Yesterday’s work was worthwhile. - -“Good-by, everybody! See you all in Milwaukee!” she called. They had -been given instructions to fly to the airport in that city, and there to -ask for directions. - -Ralph took off a few minutes later, not quite so gracefully as Linda, -but nevertheless without any mishaps. - -Fifteen minutes later they waved to each other as they came down along -the shore of the lake, a short distance from each other, to wait for ten -o’clock to arrive. - -“Are you going straight across the lake?” Ralph asked Linda. - -“No,” she replied. “If I fly southwest, I can reach Milwaukee a lot -faster. If we went directly across the lake from here, we’d have over -thirty miles to fly down the western shore of Lake Michigan.” - -The young man looked dubious. - -“I guess I’m a fool, but I believe I’ll take the longer route. I’m kind -of afraid of that lake. I’d hate to have to swim it.” - -Linda smiled, but not in contempt. She admired him all the more for his -cautiousness in handling his new autogiro. - -They waited together until two minutes of ten, then, with a handclasp -and a mutual expression of hope for good luck, they walked back to their -machines and gave them the gun. - -Like Linda, Amy was in high spirits, and she thoroughly enjoyed the -beautiful flight over the water. It was lovely and cool in the sky, so -different from the hot atmosphere below. Linda watched her compass -carefully and reached Milwaukee without any deviation. - -Looking about cautiously, to make sure that none of the other planes was -making a landing at the same time, she brought her “Ladybug” down on the -runway and climbed out. - -A smiling mechanic came towards her, congratulating her upon her success -thus far, and handing her a typewritten message. - -“Fly to Columbus airport,” she read. “And there receive further -directions.” - -“How far is Columbus?” she asked the mechanic. “Fifty miles?” - -“A little over, perhaps. Want an inspection, or some gas?” - -Linda glanced at the indicator. “I don’t believe so,” she answered. -Then, turning to her companion, she asked, “Are you hungry, Amy?” - -“No! No!” cried the girl. “Let’s not take the time to eat. Let’s have a -drink of water, and get on our way. We just have to win!” - -Linda smiled and nodded in agreement, and the mechanic brought them some -water. - -“Have you any news of the other flyers in our race?” she asked him. “How -many have been here so far?” - -“Two—Lt. Hulbert and a Mr. Lawlor, I believe. About fifteen minutes -ago—the lieutenant was the first. And I heard that one fellow couldn’t -get his plane into the air at all, and that he had to drop out before he -even started.” - -“That must have been Joe Elliston!” exclaimed Linda, immediately. “He -was scared, anyway.” - -“Yes, I believe that was the name, though the message wasn’t very clear. -His plane is a Fleet?” - -“Yes. Poor kid!” remarked Linda, sympathetically. “I wish we could help -him.” - -“Come on, Linda, we must go!” urged Amy, impatiently. - -“Now you’re going to taste some speed, Amy,” Linda said, as they climbed -into the cockpits. “I’m going to let her out to the limit. I want to -reach Columbus in half an hour—I’m very hungry!” - -Scarcely had they made their ascent when they spotted another plane -approaching the airport. Though they could not see the pilot, Linda -identified it as an Avian, the plane which Dot Crowley had selected for -the hunt. - -“Step on it! Step on it!” cried Amy, clapping her hands. “Go on, Linda!” - -Thrilled with the excitement of the race, Linda urged her “Ladybug” to -her greatest speed. What fun it was to know that you were safe, and yet -to fly along at more than a hundred miles an hour! And how glad she was -that she had brought Amy! The child was having the time of her life. - -Clouds, deep piles of heavy white clouds were gathering above them when -Linda brought her autogiro down at the Columbus airport. Again a -mechanic came out with a typewritten message, but this time a warning -was also issued. - -“We are advising all pilots in the hunt to wait until the storm is -over,” he said. “The sky looks bad, and the weather report is -unfavorable.” - -Linda frowned and opened the lunch box which Anna had packed. - -“You really think it is dangerous?” she asked, looking up at the clouds. - -“We certainly do. Those clouds mean a thunderstorm.” - -“Oh, what do we care?” demanded Amy, as she hastily ate a sandwich. “It -didn’t stop the others, did it?” - -“No. But they were here a little earlier, before the skies were so -black.” - -“How many?” inquired Linda. - -“Three. Two Moths and an Avian.” - -“Tom Hulbert and Frank Lawlor—and—and Dot!” cried Linda. So Dot Crowley -had caught up to them and had beaten them! Funny, they hadn’t seen her -plane go past. But perhaps she was flying higher. - -“Then we’ll have to go, too,” Linda decided, rather recklessly for her. -“We’ll eat while you put in some gas.” - -She opened the paper and read the directions. This time they were more -difficult. This was to be the finish! - -“Fly northwest, past Beaver Dam to Fox River. Follow the river, west, -then north, to Lake Waupin. Continue about ten miles, looking for a -large old house of gray plaster, with a flat roof and a tower. Land in a -field behind this, and search the barn. Treasure is hidden in the barn. -It is in bright red wrapping.” - -Reading the words over her shoulder, Amy gasped in excitement. - -“Those words are familiar, Linda. I—I know the Fox River! I’m sure I -do.” - -Linda, who had completely forgotten the mystery about the girl in the -excitement of the morning, gazed at her in surprise. - -“But you are supposed to come from Montana,” she said. “You couldn’t -have come this far.” - -“I don’t know,” replied the perplexed girl. “But I do know these names -are familiar.” - -All the while the skies grew darker than before, the thunder sounded -nearer and nearer, and Linda became more fearful. Was she acting -foolishly, in defiance of her aunt’s dearest wishes? But how she hated -to give up, now that she had come this far! - -Suddenly another plane swooped down from the skies with an awful speed -that sent a shiver through Linda’s body. It was going to crash, she felt -sure; the pilot could not control it. She pulled Amy back into the -hangar, and watched her autogiro nervously. Would it be hit by that -speeding plane, hit and dashed to pieces, too? - -But miraculously the descending plane passed over the “Ladybug” and hit -the ground with a thump, bouncing high into the air—seeming to hover a -breathless second—then turning a pancake. It was all Linda could do to -restrain a scream, and Amy cried out in fright. - -But a second later a woman crept smilingly from the upturned plane, and -dragged a man after her. It was Madge Keen and her husband. - -“Thank Heaven!” cried Linda, dashing breathlessly to their side. “You’re -not hurt?” - -“No, only bruised a lot,” replied Madge. “It was a wonderful escape. I -guess Bert was in too much of a hurry—we were frightened of the storm. -Doesn’t it look black?” - -“It certainly does,” Linda admitted. “But I guess I’ll try it.” - -Madge seized the other girl’s hand and pleaded with her to wait. - -“It’s certain death!” she said. “You’ll never make it, Linda!” - -“I thought maybe I could get above the clouds,” replied the other. “And -my autogiro’s so safe, compared to ordinary planes.” - -“Nothing’s safe in a storm like this,” remarked Madge. “We’re going to -wait here for Ralph, and take a taxi to a hotel. We saw him in -Milwaukee, and we agreed to do that if the storm came on—that all three -of us would drop out of the race. We’d have to now, anyhow,” she added, -pointing to the wrecked plane. - -“Well, so long, then,” answered Linda, hurrying Amy into the autogiro. - -They had scarcely left the ground when the rain came in torrents and the -thunder and lightning grew sharper and sharper, until the terrific claps -seemed to be breaking right about them, almost into their ears. With -stoic courage Linda made for the heights. But she could not get out of -the storm by climbing, so wisely she directed her plane as best she -could away from its direction, going almost exactly west. - -Though well protected with their slickers and helmets, the rain poured -into the girls’ faces, making it impossible for Linda to see anything. -With the clouds and the rain all about her, the earth was entirely -invisible, and she had to depend solely upon her instruments. - -“We’re getting away from it!” cried Amy, who had been pretty well -frightened for a while. Indeed, they did seem to be making progress, for -the thunder seemed a little more distant. - -The pilot could not take time to bother with the speaking tube, so she -made no reply. She was afraid that she would come upon another plane in -this semi-darkness, and that there would ensue one of those crashes -which her Aunt Emily so dreaded. - -But it was over soon—they had evidently passed through it, and the skies -were lighter, with blue patches appearing here and there. With a deep -sigh of thankfulness, Linda dipped her autogiro lower, that they might -study the landscape, for she felt sure that they were now off their -course. - -It was ten minutes later, and the sun was shining, when they came to a -river, a broad, beautiful stream that seemed almost too wide to be the -Fox River, as Linda had pictured it. - -“I don’t think this is it!” she shouted to Amy. “But look for a gray -stone house with a tower.” - -“There are too many houses,” replied Amy. “The one we want is supposed -to be all alone.” - -Linda flew still lower, along the bank of the river. Suddenly Amy spied -a tower. - -“That must be it!” cried Linda, in excited joy. “And there’s a good big -field—” Abruptly all her delight died. For there were already three -planes standing in that field! She must have lost the treasure hunt! - -“We’re too late!” she wailed. - -“Don’t land!” shouted Amy, with intense excitement. “There isn’t any -barn around here. Besides, I know—I’m sure—this isn’t the Fox River! -It’s the Wisconsin.” - -“Then those pilots are wrong?” - -“They must be.” - -“Amy, are you sure?” - -“Yes, positive. Go on, Linda! We’ll beat ’em yet. Fly north! This is -somehow familiar ground to me!” - - - - - Chapter X - The Treasure - - -Linda directed her plane upward and consulted her map. If Amy was right, -and this was the Wisconsin River, there was still a chance of getting -that prize. If the girl was wrong, it would be too late anyhow, for one -of those three pilots would certainly have found the treasure by this -time. In which case it would be better for Linda to fly directly to Lake -Winnebago. - -Assuming that Amy was right, and this was the Wisconsin and not the Fox -River, she turned her plane to the northeast. Unfortunately, however, -this act headed her right back into the storm. - -Fresh clouds seemed to be gathering everywhere; it was impossible to -climb above them, or to pass through them. The wind was blowing -fiercely, sending the rotor blades about at a terrific speed. The -autogiro seemed to sway; she felt herself suddenly in the grip of a -whirlwind. Amy, frightened at last, held on to the sides of the cockpit -with a deadly grip. Neither girl wore a safety belt; it seemed any -moment as if they would both be dashed over the sides of the plane. - -“Be ready to jump, Amy, if I give a signal!” Linda shouted through the -speaking tube to her companion. Her face was white and her lips tense -with fear; the autogiro was out of her control entirely. She could only -wait, and trust grimly to the rotors. - -Had it been any other plane than an autogiro, Linda realized that it -would long ago have been hurled mercilessly through space, probably -upside down. But the little “Ladybug” was gallantly battling the winds, -and Linda prayed fervently that she might get it under control. - -Again it rocked violently, and with a shiver of agony, she turned to the -tube to tell Amy to step off. Perhaps, she thought, she could stay with -it herself a little longer. Just as she was about to speak, the autogiro -righted itself again and the rain began to fall in torrents, wetting -them thoroughly, but dispelling the worst of the cloud. A moment later -the joy stick responded to Linda’s touch; the plane made headway out of -the grip of the wind. The young aviatrix breathed a prayer of -thanksgiving. - -They continued to fly onward amid the driving rain for some distance -until the storm was spent at last, and Linda came low to take a look at -the landscape. It was Amy who first spotted the river. - -“There it is, Linda!” she cried joyously, as one who sees a familiar -sight after a long sojourn in a foreign country. “The Fox River! I know -it! I’m positive of it! Keep right on—past Lake—Lake—I forget the name.” - -“Lake Waupin?” shouted Linda, consulting her map. - -“Yes! Yes! How did you know?” - -“By my map. How did you?” - -“It’s where I lived. I’m sure.” - -“Of course!” cried Linda. “This is somewhere near the spot where you met -with your accident. I remember Dot and I flew over Lake Waupin, though -we didn’t know its name then. But where is there any house around here? -It looks so desolate.” - -“Keep on going—follow the river. I’ll watch for a tower.” - -Linda’s excitement was intense; even if she didn’t succeed in finding -the treasure, she must be on the way to clearing up the mystery of Amy’s -past life. She pressed forward eagerly, watching the river, and looking -for signs of a house. - -A few miles farther on Amy spotted it, and almost rose in her seat. - -“There it is, Linda!” she called. “And it’s sort of familiar to me. Oh, -can it be my home?” - -“It seems reasonable,” replied Linda, although it certainly did not fit -in with Mrs. Fishberry’s theory that Amy lived in Montana. - -Just as Mr. Clavering had said, there was a field beyond, large enough -for any kind of plane to land. Linda, however, did not bother with this; -she selected a small spot behind the barn and brought the “Ladybug” to -earth. - -Wild with excitement the two girls jumped out and ran hand in hand to -the barn. The big doors stood partially open; the place was empty and -deserted. Amy peered inside. - -Almost immediately Linda spotted the treasure. A soap box conspicuously -painted red was reposing in the corner of the barn, where it could -easily be seen at a glance. With a scream of delight she darted forward -and made a motion to drag it out to the light to examine its contents. -But it was no effort at all; the box was evidently empty. - -“Don’t you s’pose there’s anything in it?” she gasped, as she set it -down at the door, and began to pull out the newspaper packing. “Or is -the box itself supposed to be the prize?” - -Amy laughed. - -“I don’t know what you could use it for, except as an ash box,” she -replied. “It wouldn’t make a very good parlor ornament.” - -Linda continued to pull out the papers, thrusting them aside in haste, -until at last her hands touched a candy box. But as she lifted that out, -she realized that it, too, was empty! - -She held it over to Amy, and the girl’s eyes grew angry, as she took -hold of the box. - -“If it’s a trick—after all we went through—” she began. - -“Well, we’ll have to be good sports,” replied Linda, taking the box back -and untying the red ribbon. “But before I open it, Amy, I want to say -that if there is anything valuable in it, it’s to be half yours. I’d -never have found it if it hadn’t been for you.” - -“That’s sweet of you, Linda dear,” replied the younger girl. “And I’ll -agree—provided it’s something that can be divided. But if it should be a -watch or a bracelet, or something like that, you have to consent to keep -it.” - -“O.K.,” answered Linda, and the girls clasped hands solemnly on the -agreement; then laughed at themselves for taking so seriously what might -prove to be only a joke. - -Linda opened it at last, and found an envelope inside addressed to - - “The Winner of the Treasure Hunt.” - -She guessed now what the prize must be: money, of course! That would be -something which either a man or a girl could use, no matter which one -won it. But she was not prepared for the amount which greeted her, as -she slit the envelope, and drew out the long green paper inside. A check -of one thousand dollars, payable to the winner of the hunt, with a space -left for the proper name to be filled in, and with the signature of R. -W. Clavering at the bottom! - -“What is it?” inquired Amy gazing at the odd piece of paper, without any -understanding. “Does it mean you will get a thousand dollars?” - -“It is a thousand dollars!” replied Linda. “Surely, Amy, you have seen -checks before?” - -The girl solemnly shook her head. - -“Never,” she asserted. - -“Well, it’s all right! And you have to take five hundred!” cried Linda, -in delight. “That will pay your way at a business college, Amy—so that -you never have to go back to that horrid Mrs. Fishberry! Oh, isn’t it -just too good to be true!” She gave the girl a joyous hug. “Now let’s -start back, Amy.” - -Her companion hesitated. - -“I’d love to see that house,” she said. “It—it is somehow familiar to -me.” - -Linda consulted her watch. - -“We might as well,” she agreed. “It’s early. And we can easily make Lake -Winnebago in an hour. All right, come on.” - -“But suppose somebody lives there——” - -“Then we’ll just make up an excuse and go away. Or—Amy—suppose it were -your real family!” - -“Oh, Linda, suppose!” The tears came to Amy’s eyes, and she added, -wistfully, “Isn’t it strange that I can’t remember a thing about Mrs. -Fishberry, or anybody else?” - -“You will soon,” Linda insisted optimistically. “Things are coming back -gradually. Come on, let’s knock at the back door.” - -Hand in hand, the girls ran across the field of tall grass and weeds -which separated the house from the barn and came to the kitchen, which -was built out from the house as a separate wing, two stories in height. -But the door was closed and barred, and all the windows apparently were -locked up. There seemed to be little doubt that the place was deserted. - -“Do you remember it, Amy?” asked Linda, anxiously. - -“Yes—but only like something that happened in a dream,” she replied. “It -seems to me that I ran barefoot through the fields—and—and—I can sort of -remember drowning in the Fox River, and nobody helping me— Yes, it must -have been here.” - -“Let’s go around front,” suggested Linda, watching Amy’s face all the -while. - -“Yes, let’s. It’s an ugly house, isn’t it, Linda? So big and -gloomy—and—ugh!” A shiver ran through the girl’s body, and she clung to -Linda wretchedly. Another memory flashed into her brain. - -“Linda,” she sobbed, “there’s a ghost in that tower.” - -Linda stepped back and looked up at the roof of the house. As Mr. -Clavering had said, there was a tower by which the pilots could identify -the house. It rose straight from the flat mansard roof, about two -stories in height. It was square, with a small window on each side, but -from the ground where the girls stood, it was impossible to see within. - -“How do you know?” asked Linda. - -“I know it because I could see it at night from my bed-room window. I -slept over the kitchen, in that wing, and I could see the tower. Oh, -Linda, I’m afraid! We’re here all alone!” - -“Don’t, don’t, dear!” pleaded Linda. “But we’ll go back to the autogiro -unless you want to go around front. There can’t be anybody at home -now——” - -She stopped suddenly, for she heard a queer noise inside, as if someone -were moving about. - -“Do you hear that?” whispered Amy, as if she were afraid to speak aloud. - -“Yes. Let’s go see if we can get in!” - -Amy held back, but Linda went over to the nearest window and peered in. -She saw only a dreary room, with dark, ugly furniture—a room which -looked as if no one had recently lived in it. - -“That wasn’t anybody real, Linda,” protested Amy. “It was the ghost. It -often made queer noises at night. Oh, please let’s get away before -anything happens!” - -“All right. But I would love to investigate. I’m going to make Dot come -over with me on Monday, if we have to climb in a window. I don’t believe -in ghosts, Amy!” - -“Oh, you mustn’t do that, Linda! The house is evil—I know now that I’m -lucky never to have to go back to it. I don’t ever want to see it -again!” - -Anxious to get the girl away from her morbid thoughts, Linda challenged -her to a race back to the autogiro, and they reached it together in a -couple of minutes. - -They climbed into the cockpits and Linda went through the usual motions -of starting the engine. But, though the self-starter responded to her -efforts, the motor refused to take hold. There would be a little spurt, -then silence again. Patiently Linda tried over and over; each time the -engine failed to respond. - -With a greater sense of fear than Amy had experienced even in that -terrific whirlwind, she clung desperately to the sides of the cockpit. - -“Linda, what’s the matter?” she gasped, hoarsely. - -“Only a faulty spark plug, I think,” responded the other, cheerfully. “I -can easily fix it.” - -“No, no,” said the other girl, with assurance. “I know what it is—it’s -that evil spirit—that ghost in the tower!” - -“Now Amy, be sensible,” returned Linda, lightly. But when she glanced at -the girl’s white, drawn face, she realized how intensely she was -suffering, and a real fear took possession of her, too—a deadly fear -that the child would lose her reason as well as her memory. - -“Linda, you don’t know! You can’t know!” Amy leaned over and gripped her -companion’s hand. “If we stay here after dark, something dreadful will -happen to us!” - -“Well, we’re not going to stay here that long,” Linda assured her, with -a great effort to keep her voice calm and natural. “Now jump out and -help me.” - -As fast as she could, Linda went to work to locate and replace the -missing spark plug, and all the while she tried to keep Amy occupied -with little jobs to help her. But it was pitiful to watch the young -girl’s trembling hands, her white face, her shaking body. She was more -of a hindrance than a help, yet Linda worked on as fast as she could, -desperately hoping that nothing else would prove to be wrong. - -The tests and the work took longer than any job Linda had done since she -had taken her course at the ground school, and it was after six o’clock -when the engine finally responded. Linda heaved a deep sigh of relief, -as she turned to announce the good news to Amy. - -But the girl was not listening; her eyes were fixed upon the figure of a -woman hurrying towards them. - -“Who is it?” demanded Linda, excitedly, hopefully. Oh, if this should -only prove to be the girl’s mother! “Do you recognize her?” - -“Yes,” replied Amy, stepping back and clutching Linda’s arm. “It’s the -Fish!” - -At the same moment Linda too identified the woman who had come to her -house that week to claim the young girl as her niece. - -Mrs. Fishberry advanced triumphantly. - -“I’m glad to find you here, Helen,” she said. “Though why you trust -yourself with a person who almost killed you, is beyond me.” - -“What do you mean?” demanded the girl, angrily. - -“You know what I mean. And I have a witness, Miss Carlton, to prove that -you—and not a car—knocked Helen down— But never mind that now. I have a -picture of you, Helen, and here is your baptism certificate, and your -mother’s Bible. Now will you come with me?” - -“No! No!” cried the girl. “I don’t ever want to see you again.” - -Mrs. Fishberry held out the Bible and the family album for Linda to -examine. At the same time she grasped Amy firmly by the arm. - -“Do I have to go?” implored the girl. “I’ll die if I ever have to live -in that house again.” - -Mrs. Fishberry’s eyes narrowed. - -“So you remember it, do you?” she demanded. - -“Only faintly—it—seems to me that I did live there. Was there a ghost?” - -“Of course not,” replied Mrs. Fishberry. “You lived here with your old -grandfather and when he died, maybe you imagined you saw his ghost— But -come along. I’m taking you to Chicago with me. I promise you won’t have -to live there again.” - -Amy looked reassured. - -“All right,” she agreed. “I’ll go. But please give Miss Carlton our -address, so that she can write to me, and can send me my pretty -clothes.” - -“Miss Carlton will hear from me soon,” replied the woman with a knowing -smile. “Just now I can’t give any address, for we’ll go to a hotel in -Chicago. Now come. I have a taxi down the road.” - -Tearfully Amy kissed Linda good-by, as if she were her only real friend -in the world, and the aviatrix returned to her autogiro. But she was -despondent; all the joy of finding the treasure was lost in the grief of -the parting with Amy. - -She climbed into the cockpit and started her engine. As the “Ladybug” -rose into the air, and reached the height of the tower, Linda remembered -the ghost and could not restrain her impulse to circle back around the -house, to take a glimpse for herself through the windows. Luckily there -were no large trees close to the walls; she believed that she could pass -the place on the side, and with the use of her field glasses, peer into -the very window which had been visible to Amy if she had really slept in -that wing over the kitchen, as she believed. - -Turning the autogiro about, Linda dipped it to the proper height, and -directed it back towards the tower. She decreased her speed to the -lowest that she dared, and passed slowly by the tower, her glasses at -her eyes. - -The sight which Linda saw through the dusty window almost brought a -scream of horror to her lips. It was unreal! Uncanny! Unbelievable! -There, as clear as the tower itself, was a horrible dark figure, -crouching against the pane of glass, with a face so thin that it seemed -nothing but bones. Yet it was not a dead skeleton, for two evil, -gleaming eyes stared vacantly at Linda. And, as the plane passed by, a -deadly white hand was raised from the figure’s dark cloak, and seemed to -point with menace at the young pilot. - -Dumb with horror, Linda continued to stare at the apparition, forgetful -of the autogiro she was piloting. Then abruptly she realized that she -was dropping to the ground, and with a jerk she pulled back the joy -stick. - -Wiping the cold beads of sweat from her forehead, she put on all -possible speed, and made a record flight to Lake Winnebago. Yet the -ghastly vision haunted her all the way to her destination; never in her -life was she more thankful for a safe landing than when she finally -brought the “Ladybug” to earth on the field near the Inn, where Mr. -Clavering’s party had already gathered. - - - - - Chapter XI - The Return of the Flyers - - -The older people who had gone by boat and taxicab to the Inn at Lake -Winnebago arrived early on Saturday afternoon. What was their surprise -to be met at the door by Joe Elliston and Sarah Wheeler! - -“How did you get here so soon?” demanded Mr. Clavering in amazement. -“And did you find the prize?” - -The young man flushed. - -“No, sir, we never even got started. One of my wheels dug into a sand -bank at the take-off, and was slightly damaged. There didn’t seem to be -much use waiting to have it fixed, while the others got all that start. -So I went back and got my car, and Sarah and I drove.” - -Miss Carlton nodded approvingly. - -“You certainly showed good sense, Joe,” she remarked. “I have been -terribly nervous and worried all afternoon, on account of that frightful -storm.” - -“Oh, you can be sure that Linda is equal to any kind of weather,” put in -Sarah, reassuringly. “If there’s one aviatrix in the world who knows -what she’s doing, it’s your niece!” - -“I hope so,” commented the older woman. “But it isn’t only Linda I’m -worried about—it’s everybody. I shan’t have a happy minute until all -seven planes arrive.” - -“Then you’ll never have a happy moment, Miss Carlton,” remarked Joe, -teasingly. “Because our plane can’t arrive!” - -“Well then, six planes,” corrected the other, smiling. - -“It’s possible,” observed Mrs. Crowley, “that they may all have been -forced down on account of that storm. So they may not get here till -morning. I don’t intend to worry until I hear bad news.” - -“That’s the idea!” approved Mr. Clavering. “Now how about some iced -drinks, and some sandwiches. What’ll it be?” - -The whole group, composed of half a dozen older people and the young -couple, seated themselves on the beautiful porch overlooking the lake -and sipped the cooling drinks with which the maids supplied them at Mr. -Clavering’s orders. They had scarcely finished when a taxicab drew up to -the Inn and Ralph and the two Keens got out. - -“What luck?” demanded everybody at once. - -Madge Keen laughingly told the story. - -“The only prize we got was a lot of bruises at Columbus, trying to make -a landing in too great a hurry, to get out of the storm. Bert smashed -the plane, Mr. Clavering.” - -“Don’t worry about that,” replied the latter, reassuringly. “The -insurance will take care of any damage. Are you sure you’re not hurt?” - -“Positive.” - -“And you, Ralph?” - -“I left my autogiro at the Columbus airport,” replied the young man; -“because I didn’t want to risk the storm. I knew if I waited it would be -too late, for the other four planes had already gone when I arrived.” - -“Then Linda and Dot were both flying through that dreadful -thunderstorm!” cried Miss Carlton, woefully. - -“And Kit and Sue!” added Mr. Clavering. - -The party separated to go to their respective rooms to unpack, and half -an hour later the young people gathered at the lake in their bathing -suits. The storm had completely passed and the sun was shining brightly. -Several of the older people joined the group, but both Mr. Clavering and -Miss Carlton preferred to wait at the Inn for news of the missing -flyers. - -It was still early, however—too early to worry about their arrival—and -Mr. Clavering was rewarded about five o’clock by the sight of two planes -flying one behind the other. Both passed over the Inn, and the -passengers leaned out and waved. Although neither Mr. Clavering nor Miss -Carlton could make out who they were, the latter knew that neither was -Linda. She did not know much about airplanes, but at least she could -identify an autogiro when she saw it. - -Both planes landed some distance from the Inn, and Mr. Clavering decided -to go after the flyers in his car. - -“I was afraid there weren’t going to be any planes here at all,” he -remarked to Miss Carlton as he left the porch. “It would have been -humiliating to have all the pilots come over in cars.” - -“Humiliating, perhaps, but very sensible,” returned the other. She -watched the sky all the while he was gone and kept looking at her watch. -Why, oh, why, must her precious child be the last to arrive? - -Kit and Tom Hulbert, Sue Emery and Frank Lawlor returned with Mr. -Clavering in a few minutes. They were all in high spirits, obviously -unharmed by the storm, but they announced immediately that they had not -found the treasure. - -“Linda got it, of course,” said Kit. “But she deserves it, and I’m -glad.” - -Miss Carlton’s face lighted up with joy, not because her niece had won -the prize, but because she believed she was safe. - -“You have seen Linda?” she asked, eagerly. - -Kit shook her head. - -“No, Miss Carlton, we haven’t. Nobody has seen her since the storm. But -we four got on the wrong track, and got lost, and Dot Crowley did the -same thing. We all landed beside a river, where there was a house with -the tower, but it wasn’t the right house.” - -“Where is Dot?” inquired Miss Carlton. - -“Coming. And you see that accounts for everybody except Linda, because -Dad told me that the others have already arrived. So Linda must have the -prize.” - -Miss Carlton groaned. - -“I don’t agree with you, Kitty dear,” she said. “It’s more likely that -Linda has crashed during that storm, and is stranded—possibly hurt—in -some lonely place.” - -“Now please don’t worry, Miss Carlton,” urged Kitty, sympathetically. -“It’s only six o’clock, and you know Linda is the best flyer of all. -Besides, the ‘Ladybug’ is safer than an ordinary plane.” - -Mr. Clavering had given orders that the dinner be moved on to -seven-thirty, in the hope that Linda might arrive in time. At exactly -five minutes after the hour the “Ladybug” came roaring through the -skies, and to the amusement of everyone, landed right on the front lawn -of the Inn. Trying to smile gayly in spite of her encounter with Mrs. -Fishberry and her vision of the strange ghost in the tower, Linda -Carlton stepped out. - -Everybody ran down the steps to greet her, and her aunt kissed her as if -she had never expected to see her again. - -“You’re safe!” she cried, with intense relief. - -“Get the treasure?” demanded Dot, excitedly. - -“Yes,” replied Linda, smiling. “And it’s wonderful, Mr. Clavering!” She -dug into her pocket and displayed the thousand dollar check to -everyone’s view. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Jim Valier. “Congratulations, Linda! And can I go with -you next time?” - -At his joking words everybody all at once remembered Amy. “What has -happened to the child?” demanded several of them at the same time. - -Linda looked serious. - -“She’s all right,” she hastened to inform them. “But the queerest thing -happened. That house must have been her old home, and Mrs. Fishberry was -there. She took her away with her.” - -Mr. Clavering nodded. - -“That isn’t so strange as you might think,” he said. “When I picked out -the spot to hide the treasure, I was flying over the country where Dot -Crowley said the accident must have occurred. And I selected that house -because the tower was so easily visible from the skies.” - -“And did you meet Mrs. Fishberry when you hid the treasure?” inquired -Linda. - -“No. The house was locked up and deserted. So I went to the barn. I -thought if anyone should happen along to steal it, that a check like -that wouldn’t be of any use to them. I gave my bank a list of the people -who might be entitled to cash it, with strict orders to refuse anyone -else.” - -The banquet and the dance that followed were a huge success; even Miss -Carlton had to admit that the treasure hunt had ended wonderfully, -without a single real mishap. Moreover, there was no jealousy regarding -Linda’s triumph; they all thought that she deserved her good fortune and -rejoiced with her. Strangely enough, she herself was the only member of -the party who was not entirely happy. She was worried about Amy, and -still haunted by the dreadful apparition which she had seen. - -She could not bring herself to confide her experiences and her fears to -her aunt, who was so timid about everything, but the following day, when -the party had scattered for swimming and for golf, she sought Dot -Crowley, and took her down to a bench beside the lake, where they could -be alone. - -She told the other girl of her mistrust of Mrs. Fishberry, and of her -dread of what might happen to Amy, in the keeping of that woman. Then -she concluded by describing the ghost in the tower. - -Dot’s eyes opened wide in amazement. - -“It must be a fake, Linda,” she said. - -“It can’t be,” replied the other. “Because it _moved_. I saw the hands -move, and I’m almost positive the eyes followed me!” - -“No wonder the poor girl was so terrified. Remember that first night in -the hospital?” - -“Yes. The thing frightened me, I can assure you, Dot. And yet I feel -that I’ve got to get to the bottom of it all. It fascinates, too, but it -terrifies me.” - -“What terrifies you, Miss Carlton?” asked a voice behind them. - -“You do!” replied Linda, laughingly, as she turned about to see Mike -O’Malley grinning at her. - -“Well, I didn’t mean to,” he apologized. “But will you forgive me and -tell me all about the hunt, and winning that marvelous prize?” - -“Of course,” agreed Linda, and she proceeded to relate the story, even -including Mrs. Fishberry’s reappearance. - -“Did you get her address, when she took Amy away?” he asked. - -“No, I tried, but Mrs. Fishberry wouldn’t give it—said she hadn’t a -permanent one, only a hotel in Chicago.” - -“Shucks!” cried Mike, in dismay. “There’s something queer about this -business! That fish is crooked, if I know what I’m talking about. How -about that home in Montana she talked about the first time? And why -didn’t she mention this place before, if she had a key, and could get -in?— Miss Carlton, if you care for Amy, I think you’d better go after -her— I’d—like to help you.” - -“Yes, I believe you’re right, Mike,” agreed Linda. “Only I don’t know -just what to do.” - -“Let’s fly over to the place to-morrow,” suggested Dot. “We could go -right from here, instead of going home to Green Falls first.” - -“It suits me,” agreed Linda. It was just what she was wanting, yet -dreading to do. - -“May I trail along after you in my Ford?” asked Mike. - -“Yes, indeed,” replied Linda. “I’d love to have you. And will you bring -some tools, so that we can force our way into that tower, if it is -necessary? I suspect trouble there.” - -“You’re really going to dare that?” demanded Dot. - -“Dare what?” demanded Mike. - -Linda and Dot exchanged whimsical glances. “You wait and see,” said -Linda. “If we get into that tower, I’ll show you the strangest sight you -ever laid your eyes on!” - -“Then,” asserted the boy, “we’ll get in, if we have to scale the walls! -I’m always out for strange stories for the _Star_.” - -“Well, you’ll get one there,” Linda promised, “if you help us get in.” - - - - - Chapter XII - Trickery - - -When Linda left Amy with Mrs. Fishberry at the old house, the latter -slowly led the way towards the road. But as soon as the autogiro -vanished from sight she stood still, and gazed straight at the girl. - -“You still don’t remember me, Helen?” she asked. - -The girl shook her head. - -“No, I don’t, Mrs. Fishberry.” - -“Call me Aunt Elsie, please— But you claim to remember the house?” - -“Yes—sort of. But you said I lived in Montana,” she replied, in -confusion. - -“You lived here with your grandfather for a while,” Mrs. Fishberry -explained, “after your father and mother died. They were killed in an -automobile accident when you were a baby—” So far this was the truth. -But what the woman went on to add was a lie which she told at Ed Tower’s -request.—“After your grandfather died, I took you to Montana to live -with me. Your uncle Ed is your only living relative. He and your father -were brothers.” - -“And their name was Tower?” asked Helen. - -“Yes. I think that’s why your grandfather built that high tower on his -house—because of his name. The idea pleased him.” - -“But if my uncle Ed is my only living relative, what are you? I thought -you said you were my aunt!” - -“I’m not really your aunt yet—but I will be on Monday, for I’m going to -marry your uncle Ed,” admitted Mrs. Fishberry. “No, I am a widow now—an -old friend of the family. But I offered to bring you up when your -grandfather died, and you have always called me ‘Aunt Elsie.’ Your uncle -was traveling so much on business that he couldn’t take care of you.” - -Mrs. Fishberry smiled to herself with satisfaction as she told this -story. Not a bad story, she thought, for one that had to be made up so -quickly. And the girl actually seemed to believe it! - -Both were silent for a moment, while another idea leaped into the -woman’s mind. Why not leave the girl here, locked in this empty house, -while she returned to Chicago? They could get her again on Monday, when -Ed came over to set fire to the place. Surely there must be food in the -kitchen. But she mustn’t let Helen suspect that she was going to be left -alone! - -“I don’t see the car,” she remarked, casually. “The driver must have -gone away. I told him if I didn’t come back in half an hour that he -needn’t wait— We’ll spend the night here, dear, and your uncle will -drive over for us to-morrow.” - -The girl stared at the speaker in horror. She simply couldn’t spend -another night in this awful house! All too vividly she remembered the -ghost in the tower. - -“We can’t, Aunt Elsie!” she protested. “It’s too—awful!” Her voice had -sunk to a hoarse whisper. - -“What’s too awful?” asked Mrs. Fishberry, lightly. - -“That house. The ghost in the tower.” - -“What ghost?” - -“There is a terrible ghost in that tower at night. I can see it from my -old bed-room window. His—hands—move!” - -“Now dear, you’re being silly,” reproved the woman. “How can you -remember anything like that, that happened so long ago! It must have -been some foolish dream you had when you were not much more than a -baby.” - -“But I can even picture it now!” she persisted. - -“Oh, come on,” urged the other, grasping her by the arm. “You’re too old -for such ridiculous fancies now. Besides, I’m right here. Nothing can -harm you.” She almost dragged her back by force to the house. - -“I—I—know I’ll die, Aunt Elsie,” sobbed Helen, her voice shaking with -fear. “Or go crazy.” - -Mrs. Fishberry drew down the corners of her mouth. - -“I think that you’re crazy now,” she remarked, with biting scorn. - -The girl started to cry piteously. She was weak and helpless; now that -Linda Carlton and her dear Aunt Emily had been taken from her, there was -no one in the world to protect her. For she had no faith in this strange -uncle, who apparently cared as little for her as did this harsh woman. - -“I want Linda!” she cried. “Oh, Linda, why did you leave me?” - -“You little fool!” exclaimed Mrs. Fishberry in exasperation. “You’re -acting like an idiot. That girl was no friend to you.” - -“She was the best friend I ever had!” cried Helen, vehemently. - -“Oh, yeah?” snarled her companion. She was so irritated that she gave up -her pretense of being the kind aunt. “And you were too dumb to see -through those scheming Carltons!” - -“What do you mean?” demanded Helen, up in arms at the slur to her new -friends. - -“They were trying to pull the wool over your eyes, of course! So that -you wouldn’t remember anything.” - -“What do you mean by ‘pull the wool over my eyes?’” - -“It’s just an expression, Miss Dumb-bell. I see that I have to explain -everything to you, as if you were a child six years old. I’ll have to -tell you in words of one syllable: - -“Linda Carlton was doing stunts with that plane of hers near to the -ground. Somebody, never mind who, but somebody we know, saw her. And she -crashed and _hit you_! There wasn’t any car driving along the road at -all. So she made up the story and got her friend to swear that it was -true!” - -Helen’s dark eyes were blazing with righteous anger. - -“Don’t you dare to say Linda Carlton would lie!” she exclaimed. “She’s -the soul of honor, and so is Dot Crowley!” - -“You don’t say so,” observed Mrs. Fishberry, sarcastically. “Well, I -happen to know she did lie, and we’ve got proof of it. Why do you -suppose she and her aunt were so nice to you? Because they thought you -were beautiful, or interesting, or rich?” - -“No, I guess not,” admitted Helen, choking over the words. “I guess I -was a sight in those dreadful clothes—” She turned to her companion -accusingly. “If you took care of me, why didn’t you dress me better?” - -“Because we’re poor. I had to sacrifice everything to provide food for -you.” - -“But your clothes are pretty nice,” observed the girl, shrewdly. - -“Well, what of it?” snapped the other. “You haven’t answered my question -yet. Why did the Carltons make so much of you, if it wasn’t to stop your -mouth? They thought that if they entertained you for a week in their -house, afterwards, if your memory came back, you wouldn’t sue them.” - -“What do you mean by ‘sue them?’” asked Helen, with that amazing -ignorance that she showed every once in a while regarding ordinary -words. “There was a girl in Linda’s crowd named Sue Emery——” - -“You get dumber by the minute!” returned Mrs. Fishberry. “We’re going to -make Miss Linda Carlton pay fifty thousand dollars damages because she -smashed into you with her plane. Now, do you get that?” - -“You wouldn’t!” cried Helen, in horror. “You just couldn’t!” - -“Sure we could. The law is on our side.” The woman’s manner suddenly -changed, and she remembered to play the part of the fond aunt. “Now -don’t you worry, Helen,” she added. “It’s for you we’re doing it. We’ll -spend the money on you. First, for a good doctor—a specialist to restore -your memory—and then for education and pretty clothes. You’ll be a fine -lady some day, if you don’t act silly about Linda Carlton.” - -“But I love her, and I don’t believe anything against her.” - -“You love her more than you do me, because she took care of you for a -week, while I gave the best years of my life to you!” - -“I’m sorry, Aunt Elsie, but you can’t expect me to be grateful for -something I can’t remember.” - -While they had been talking they had reached the front door of the house -and stopped at the steps of the porch. The wooden boards had rotted and -the heavy door was sadly in need of paint. Everything about the place -suggested neglect, ruin, and decay. - -Helen shuddered. - -“Let’s not stay here!” she begged. “I’d rather walk all the way to town -than sleep in this haunted house over night.” - -“Nonsense,” replied the other. “I’m tired and hungry. Come on in.” - -She pulled the girl up the steps, and, selecting a large key from her -hand bag, inserted it into the lock and turned the knob. The heavy door -creaked and opened. - -Inside, the house was gloomy and forbidding. All the old-fashioned -shutters were closed so that the appearance within was almost of night. -Helen stopped at the doorway and shivered with fear. - -“Come along back to the kitchen and we’ll see if we can find something -to eat,” said Mrs. Fishberry in a cheerful tone. - -“I don’t want to!” objected Helen. - -“Don’t be a coward!” returned the other. “I’m ashamed of you!” - -Plucking up her courage the girl led the way through the large dim hall, -with its great dark staircase in the center, to the wing where the -kitchen had been built. The door of this room was locked on the outside -with another huge key. - -“Here we are!” exclaimed Mrs. Fishberry, as she opened the door. “Now -can’t we get some light into this room?” - -She walked over to the windows and tried to raise them. But they were -evidently nailed and barred on the outside. - -“I wonder whether there is any food,” she remarked. “And what kind of -stove this is.” - -“It’s an oil stove,” answered Helen, in a flash. “And there’s a supply -of oil under that table. And here’s where the food is kept,” she added, -pointing to a large cupboard. - -Mrs. Fishberry eyed her narrowly. - -“You remember pretty well, Helen,” she said. - -“Yes, I do. Look, here’s tea and sugar and oatmeal. Well, we won’t -starve.” - -“That’s good. Now can you remember where to get the water?” - -“Yes, there’s a pump out back. But this door won’t open. It must be -barred up—yes, I remember it was when Linda and I looked at it.” - -“That’s all right. You go out the front door with these two buckets and -bring in some water. I’ll be looking about for a place to sleep.” - -While the girl was gone, Mrs. Fishberry made an inspection. A small, -winding staircase led from the kitchen to a room above, a bedroom, and -in this she decided that Helen could sleep. It would be a simple matter -to slip out of the kitchen and lock the girl in, leaving her here until -Monday morning. With food and water at hand, no court could hold Mrs. -Fishberry responsible if anything happened. And what was the use of -taking her to Chicago and paying unnecessary board for her in the -meanwhile? - -It was all accomplished without the slightest difficulty. When Helen -returned, Mrs. Fishberry waited only long enough to light the oil stove -and to put some oatmeal on to cook. Then she asked the girl to run up -the staircase and see whether she had dropped her handkerchief when she -was up in the bedroom. By the time Helen had returned the kitchen door -to the hall was locked and Mrs. Fishberry was turning the key in the -outer door of the house. - -Five minutes later she stepped into her taxicab and bade the driver -return to the railroad station. - - - - - Chapter XIII - The Haunted House - - -When Helen came down the crooked staircase from the bedroom into the -kitchen, she did not perceive at once that she was alone. Though not so -dark as the rest of the house—for there were no shutters at the kitchen -windows—this room was far from bright. Two small windows afforded the -only means of admitting the light, and each of these had several boards -nailed across the outside. - -“Aunt Elsie, where are you?” she called, trying to keep her voice calm. - -There was no answer. - -“Aunt Elsie!” she cried, in a louder tone, as she rushed over to the -door. To her horror she found it locked. - -Darting to the nearest window, she peered outside. But as there was no -view of the front from the kitchen, she did not see her. - -In a panic she started to scream. - -“Mrs. Fishberry! Aunt Elsie! Where are you?” - -Wildly she looked about the dimly-lighted room, as if in some corner she -expected to see the ghost of the tower, working its evil upon them, -because they had dared to return to this old house. - -But she saw nothing, and overcome with terror, she sank to the floor in -a bitter abandon of weeping. - -The room grew darker; the silence became ominous. Any moment she -expected that weird apparition with its skinny hands to enter through -the closed windows, and torture her. Now and again she heard queer moans -and creaks, but whether they were caused by the wind in the trees -outside, or mice in the ancient boards, she did not know. - -She must have fallen asleep, crouched in that position on the floor, for -when she regained consciousness it was entirely dark in the kitchen. -Hardly realizing where she was, she stumbled to her feet and went right -to the drawer in the cupboard where the candles were kept. She lighted -one, and shivered anew at the weird, gloomy shadows it cast upon the -walls. If the house seemed forbidding before, it was actually ghostly -now. Strange shapes seemed to rise out of the darkness, to leer at her -in her loneliness. She groped her way to the stove and sat down upon the -hard kitchen chair beside it to think. - -It was the thought of Linda Carlton that kept her from losing her -reason. Linda, who had flown over the Atlantic Ocean alone in the -darkness, Linda who had assured Helen that her fears were groundless. -She must live through this experience, she told herself, live to be a -credit to the girl who had saved her life! Live to stand up for Linda -Carlton when she should be accused by false witnesses! With a grim -determination to control herself at any cost, she walked back to the -cupboard for a saucer and a spoon, and forced herself to eat the oatmeal -which had all the while been cooking on the oil stove. - -The food revived her, and the water tasted good. Somehow she felt -better. - -Remembering that her bedroom was lighter than the kitchen, because she -could open the shutters, Helen took a candle and ascended the stairs. -But here a new terror took possession of her. She recalled the fact that -she could see the ghost in the tower from the window! - -Trembling at the very thought, she placed her candle on the -old-fashioned wash stand and sat down on the big wooden bed to try to -get command of herself. What would Linda Carlton do in a case like this, -she steadfastly asked herself? - -“Forget it, of course,” she replied aloud in a natural tone, and the -sound of her own voice, without even a tremble, gave her courage. - -“I won’t even open that shutter,” she decided, “and then I shan’t have -to see it!” - -With this resolve, she set herself to the task of opening the other -window and of making her preparations for bed. How familiar it all was! -She remembered even the contents of the bureau drawers: an old doll -which she had kept since her childhood, some other toys, and a few -clothes. Very few indeed, for she must have been exceedingly poor. - -As she wandered about the old-fashioned room, so different from the -bedrooms of Linda’s friends, her eyes lighted upon the book case. Filled -with strange volumes of adventure, which must have belonged to her -grandfather. And then, on a bedside table, she came upon her own little -Bible. - -As she opened this worn black book, a picture fell out. An old-fashioned -picture of an old woman—a kindly person, with a sweet smile. Helen’s -heart beat fast; she seized the picture with trembling fingers. Memories -flooded back to her in wild confusion, but at the center of them all was -this dear woman—her old nurse—Mrs. Smalley! - -“Oh, darling Nana!” she cried, ecstatically kissing the photograph, and -calling the woman by the old familiar name. “Nana, you have brought back -my memory to me!” - -But a start of dismay followed closely upon her joy. Where was Nana now? - -“Why, she’s out looking for me, of course!” she answered herself. “And -she is so poor that she probably had to walk all the way to the city, -and never even saw a newspaper until she got there! Oh, my poor dear -Nana! She can’t walk fast! Those wretched feet of hers! And her -deafness, and her failing eyesight!” - -The thought of the beloved nurse’s plight took Helen’s worries away from -herself entirely. She forgot how lonely, how fearful, how forsaken she -was. If only she could get out of this house, and hunt the dear soul! Do -something for Nana, who would gladly lay down her life for her child! - -But escape was impossible now; she must wait until to-morrow when Mrs. -Fishberry had promised that her uncle would return. - -“My uncle?” thought Helen, trying vainly to remember such a man. Surely -he had not lived here, for she could recall her life perfectly with Mrs. -Smalley. They had lived alone after the death of her old grandfather, -whom she could still vaguely recall. They had slept together in this -bed, and cooked on that little oil stove, and tended a garden on the -side of the house. Oh, there had been precious little money—she -remembered how her nurse had sometimes sold books and pieces of -furniture, and how she had often sent her to the post office to see -whether there was a letter. Probably it was there she was walking on the -day of that accident. But what letter could she have expected? From -whom? From her uncle, of course! Who once in a while sent Mrs. Smalley a -five-dollar bill. - -But Helen could not remember what he was like. Perhaps he had visited -them when she was a very small child, but she did not know what he -looked like. And from what Mrs. Smalley had said, he was not a good man, -or a kind one. - -But who was Mrs. Fishberry? Try as she might, she could not recall ever -having seen her before. And why did her uncle want her now, after -neglecting her all these years? Oh, if she had only known all this when -she was with Linda Carlton, she need not have gone away with that woman! -And now she would be free to hunt for Mrs. Smalley! Linda would have -been glad to help, would have flown all over the country, if need be, in -her autogiro, to find her. - -Helen sighed, but she did not despair. With the return of her memory a -great weight was lifted from her heart. That ghost would not come into -her room, she assured herself, with the shutters tightly closed, and the -morning would bring freedom. Freedom to find Mrs. Smalley, to share with -her that wonderful prize of five hundred dollars which Linda had so -generously insisted that she take. - -So she read her Bible for a while, as her nurse had trained her to do -every evening before she went to bed, and at last, tired out by her -exciting day in the skies, she fell fast asleep. - -When she awoke, without even once experiencing any bad dream, she was in -high spirits. How good it was to see the sunshine pouring in through the -one open window and to hear the birds singing in the trees. Surely -to-day her uncle would come for her. - -She dressed and cooked herself some oatmeal and made tea for her -breakfast. A search in the cupboard rewarded her with the discovery of -some dried beans and a few home-made cookies. Made for her, of course, -by dear Mrs. Smalley—in the hope that her child would return! How -unhappy the good woman must have been when day after day brought only -disappointment! - -All day long Helen watched at her bed-room window for some signs of -arrival; all day long she listened for the sound of a motor car. But -hour after hour passed quietly, until the sun began to sink in the sky, -and she at last gave up hope of being rescued. - -With the horror of approaching night a new fear took possession of her. -Suppose they never came at all! Suppose Mrs. Fishberry meant to abandon -her entirely in this gruesome house, until she starved to death, or lost -her mind? How long could she hope to keep alive on those dried beans? -And the limited supply of water! How dreadful it must be to die of -thirst—far more horrible she believed, than of hunger. - -But she must not give up so easily. There were knives in that kitchen -cupboard; if she worked patiently enough she could cut the woodwork. By -cutting the wood and breaking the glass she need not be a prisoner long. - -But she would not begin that night, she hastily decided. Such an act of -destruction might enrage that ghost in the tower, if it were the spirit -of her grandfather, as she had always believed it to be. No, she would -wait for daylight. How sorry she was that she had wasted this whole day! - -It was more difficult for her to go to sleep that night than upon the -previous one, for she was not tired. But she resolutely read her Bible -and kept her thoughts upon Linda and Nana until her eyelids began to -droop. - -Then, with a contented sigh, she fell back on her pillow asleep. - - - - - Chapter XIV - Two Surprises for Linda - - -Mike O’Malley, the young reporter who had volunteered his help in making -an investigation of the empty house, departed immediately after his -conversation with Linda and Dot on Sunday morning at Lake Winnebago. - -“I’ll be over at the place to-morrow, late in the afternoon,” he -promised, as he put the map of directions into his pocket. “And I’ll -bring tools with me. Maybe I’ll even commandeer a ladder from the -nearest farmhouse, so we can climb in a window if it is necessary. Like -regular robbers!” - -“That’s an idea!” approved Linda, thinking how useful such a thing might -be in getting into the tower. “Make it a good high one!” - -The two girls left their secluded spot and strolled back to the Inn to -join the other guests. Here a surprise of an exceedingly unpleasant -nature awaited Linda. Her Aunt Emily handed her a telegram which was far -from being a message of congratulation upon winning the race, as the -older woman suggested that it might be. - -Opening it hastily, she read these threatening words: - - “Miss Linda Carlton, - Green Falls, Mich. - - “You are hereby informed that my client, Mrs. Edward Tower (formerly - Mrs. Elsie Fishberry), of Chicago, will sue you for $50,000 damages - for striking her niece, Helen Tower, with your autogiro. We have a - witness. - - Leo Epstein, - _Attorney at Law_.” - -Linda read the message through twice before she could really believe it. -With a blank stare she handed it silently to her aunt. - -“Why, that’s absurd!” cried the older woman, unusually angry for her. -“Fifty thousand dollars! Why, you haven’t got that much money!” - -“I know. But I suppose Mrs. Fishberry thought we were enormously rich. -Mike O’Malley said there was something crooked about this woman, and I -believe him. I bet this is the only reason she bothered to get Amy -back.” - -“It’s a frame-up, of course,” said Miss Carlton. “The witness is someone -who is being bribed to lie. And a dishonest lawyer, who is willing to -take the case for what he can get out of it. You have a witness too, -however, in Dot.” - -“Yes, but the judge may say that since she’s my friend that of course -she would testify for me. Oh, Aunt Emily, what shall we do? Wire for -Daddy to come to Green Falls?” - -“I’m afraid we can’t do that, my dear. I had a telegram from him -yesterday just before we left home—I forgot to tell you in the -excitement over the treasure hunt—informing me that he was sailing for -Paris to-day. He is going to wander about France, in some of the smaller -towns, partly on business and partly for pleasure. We simply can’t wire -him.” - -“Then what shall we do?” repeated Linda, desperately. - -“I don’t know. We’ll have to think about it. Write to Mr. Irwin, I -suppose. He is a wonderful lawyer, you know.” - -“Will you do that for me right away, Aunt Emily?” - -“Yes, dear, if you’ll promise to cheer up and forget it for the time -being. After all you have done nothing wrong, and there is nothing to -worry about— Now, will you go get ready for lunch? It ought to be -announced any minute now.” - -Leaving the disagreeable telegram with her aunt, Linda went to her room -to dress. When she returned, another surprise awaited her, which she did -not know whether to regard as pleasant or not. She had tried to put the -thought of Lord Dudley out of her mind, and here he was again—as -fascinating and as handsome as ever. - -He was standing in the corner of the reception room talking with Tom -Hulbert and another man, a stranger to Linda, when the girl came down -the stairs. - -“Miss Carlton!” he exclaimed, with his charming smile, and in another -moment he was shaking hands with her and introducing the stranger, John -Kuhns, a friend of Tom Hulbert, to her. - -“But how did you know about this party?” demanded Linda. “We all told -you about the treasure hunt, but I didn’t think you knew about the -house-party here at the lake.” - -“Oh, Mr. Clavering invited me to join you all here, before I left Green -Falls. But I’ve been very busy, in Chicago, and I couldn’t get away last -night. If it hadn’t been for Mr. Kuhns, I shouldn’t be here now.” - -At this moment Ralph Clavering and his father joined the little group, -the younger man as usual looking annoyed at the reappearance of another -admirer of Linda. - -“I hope that you and Mr. Kuhns can arrange to stay until to-morrow, Lord -Dudley,” said the older man cordially. “The party isn’t breaking up till -the afternoon.” - -“That’s awfully kind,” replied the Englishman, “but I’m afraid I can’t. -I have some rather important business on for to-morrow. So Kuhns and I -are flying back this afternoon.” He turned to Linda. “In which case,” he -said, “since my time is so short, may I have a stroll with you after -luncheon, Miss Carlton?” - -Linda hesitated. - -“We were all going to take our planes up this afternoon—” she began. - -“That can be postponed until four o’clock,” suggested Mr. Clavering, -graciously. Ralph, however, frowned moodily, and walked away. - -Linda herself was not so sure that she wanted a tête-à-tête with this -man. It would be easier to forget him if she did not see much of him. -But there was no real reason to refuse, so she met him again at -half-past two on the porch. - -“I certainly want to congratulate you, Miss Carlton,” he said, as they -strolled towards the lake. “And I hear that the prize is money.” - -“Yes,” she replied, smiling. “A thousand dollars. But I am sharing it -with Amy, because she really found the place.” - -“Amy?” he repeated. “That girl—your protégée?” - -“Yes.” - -“And where is she now?” he asked casually. Linda wondered whether he -were merely talking to keep the conversation impersonal. Well, he -needn’t worry about her; fascinating as he was, she didn’t want to marry -him! - -“Her aunt took her away from me,” she replied. “It seems that where the -treasure was hidden, was really her old home.” - -“Indeed!” he remarked. “And you say you met her aunt? Then you found out -who she was, and everything is all right?” - -“Yes. Her real name is Helen Tower. The woman had pictures, and a key to -the house. But she was a very disagreeable person.” - -“Too bad for the child,” he muttered. “Did the girl know her?” - -“No, she didn’t. And she didn’t want to go. But Mrs. Fishberry insisted. -And now she is making things very unpleasant for me.” - -“How’s that?” - -“She claims that I smashed into Amy with my autogiro—that there wasn’t -any car at all. And she’s going to sue me for fifty thousand dollars!” - -“How can she?” demanded her companion, angrily. Then his eyes twinkled, -and he asked suddenly, “Was there really a car, Linda?” - -Linda’s eyes blazed. Did this man actually think she would lie? Of -course, he hadn’t known her long, but she thought he knew her well -enough for that. - -“Of course, there was a car,” she replied, haughtily. “A gray car, -driven by an elderly man, at eighty miles an hour—or something like -that. I have Miss Crowley as a witness, but they say they have one, too, -and I suppose I shall have to go to court.” - -“Always in the newspapers,” he remarked, teasingly. - -“Yes, and not only that, but I expect to take a job in the fall that may -take me far away from Chicago. It’s going to be awfully inconvenient, -even if I don’t have to pay any money.” - -They strolled along in silence for a little while, and Linda had a -sudden desire to be back with her other friends. This Englishman was not -so fascinating upon further acquaintance, and she longed for Dot. If she -had a chance to talk to her about the telegram, she would feel better. -Dot always had such wonderful suggestions. - -Lord Dudley, however, had one to offer. - -“Why don’t you try to buy the woman off, Miss Carlton?” he asked. - -“What for?” she demanded, angrily. - -“Oh, say for about twenty-five thousand—maybe less, if she’d take it. It -would save you a lot of time and worry, and maybe money in the end. You -may be telling the truth, but how’s a judge to know that, if the other -people have a witness?” - -Linda drew herself up proudly. She was actually beginning to dislike the -man. - -“I wouldn’t think of it!” she exclaimed. “That would be the same as -admitting that I was guilty. No, thank you—I’d rather fight.” - -Looking ahead of her, she suddenly spied Ralph sitting alone on a bench -beside the lake. He was probably furious with her for going off with -this stranger, and all of a sudden she saw his point of view. Who was -Lord Dudley anyhow, to step in between them like this? - -“I’ll race you to that bench!” she challenged, abruptly. “Ralph looks -lonely.” - -“I’m too old to run,” he replied, smiling. “But you go along. I really -must be getting back to the Inn. We’re leaving soon—” He hesitated, and -held out his hand. “It’s good-by, now, Miss Carlton. I’m sailing for -England early next week. I don’t suppose I’ll see you again till you -come there on one of your flights.” - -“Good-by, Lord Dudley,” she replied. “But don’t expect me soon! I’ve -been across the Atlantic you know, and next time I’ll be flying the -Pacific.” - - - - - Chapter XV - The Ghost in the Tower - - -Linda spent Monday morning inspecting her autogiro and making some minor -repairs in preparation for her flight back to Green Falls. She did not -tell her aunt that she and Dot were planning to stop at the empty house, -for she did not want to worry the good woman. If everything went well, -she ought to be home before supper. - -Dot had persuaded Bert Keen to return the airplane which she had flown -in the race, and she took the precaution of packing some sandwiches and -some fruit in the autogiro. On an adventure like this, you never could -tell what would happen. - -“I hope that Mike O’Malley is there when we arrive,” she remarked, as, -early in the afternoon, she and Linda climbed into the “Ladybug.” - -“So do I,” agreed Linda. “But I am not counting on him. I have my own -tools, and—guess what?” - -“What?” demanded her companion. - -“I’ve been practicing picking locks! We won’t need a ladder, after all! -I’m quite good at it. I think I’d make a first-class burglar.” - -“That’s some accomplishment!” - -“It really is. And you never can tell when it will come in handy. If -some child were locked in a burning house, or some old woman with heart -disease had a spell in the bath tub——” - -“Now, Linda!” protested her companion. “So you really think that you can -get into that house?” - -“Without a doubt. And it’s going to be lots of fun.” - -“Yes—maybe. Suppose there really is a ghost in the tower, Linda! You -know you do read of such things——” - -In spite of her gayety, Linda shivered. The memory of that ghastly face -at the window was still vivid to her. - -“It won’t be so bad if we go together,” she replied. “And there must be -some explanation of that queer apparition.” - -The day was beautiful and clear, and the sun shining; amidst all this -loveliness the girls could not believe in ghosts. Dismissing the -gruesome subject from their minds, they gave their attention to the -country over which they were passing. Linda was flying low in the hope -that she might identify the spot where the accident had occurred. She -wanted to see how far it really was from the house which Helen Tower -believed to have been her home. - -It was Dot who spied it first—the big oak in the field, where they had -landed to offer help to the injured girl. A moment later they saw the -road, winding as it did over the hill, from whence that gray car had so -suddenly and so disastrously appeared. - -Dot marked the spot on the map which she held in her lap and Linda flew -on towards the house with the tower. About three miles beyond they -caught a glimpse of it through the trees. - -They flew across in front of the house, over a big field which had -evidently once been a lawn, but which was now overgrown with weeds and -tall grass, but Linda decided not to land there. It was too conspicuous -a place to leave the “Ladybug,” in case anyone came along. Instead she -came down behind the barn as before, the girls walked around to the -front of the house, by the side away from the kitchen. Linda carried her -tool kit—“just like an ordinary robber,” she remarked—and they climbed -the wooden porch steps to the front door. - -“Wait!” whispered Dot, in awe. “I hear an awfully queer sound!” - -Both girls stood motionless and listened. A dull, rasping noise reached -their ears, which continued with monotonous regularity, now and then -changing to a squeak. - -“The ghost!” breathed Dot. - -“No,” replied Linda. “It’s some animal—or possibly a human being. We -better knock on the door before I start to pick the lock. If Mrs. -Fishberry is here, she’d jump at the chance to have us arrested.” - -Raising her hand, Dot thumped loudly on the door. A reply instantly came -to them. - -“Linda! Oh, Linda!” a girl’s voice screamed. - -“It’s Amy—I mean Helen!” exclaimed Linda, breathlessly. “Just what I was -afraid of! That woman locked her in!” - -“But what could be the point of torturing the child?” demanded Dot. - -“I don’t know. That’s for us to find out.” She lifted her voice. “Amy!” -she cried, at the top of her lungs. - -“Here I am—around the back!” yelled the girl. - -In excited haste Linda and Dot ran down the steps and around the side of -the house. There at the kitchen window, from whose panes the glass had -been broken, stood the girl, patiently cutting away at the woodwork with -a dull carving knife. - -Both girls ran up and kissed her through the broken window. - -“I heard the plane, and I was hoping it was you!” said Helen. - -“Are you all right?” demanded Linda, almost afraid to ask. She dreaded -to think what confinement in this ghastly house might have done to the -nervous girl. - -“I’m fine,” replied the other. “Only I’m a prisoner. But I was going to -work my way out.” - -“Are you alone?” - -“Yes. Mrs. Fishberry locked me in and ran away on Saturday.” - -“Oh, you poor girl!” cried Linda. “And are you starved to death?” - -“No. I had oatmeal and water and dried lima beans. Really, I’m all -right. And Linda—I remember everything!” - -“Honestly?” - -“Yes. You can call me Helen now—that really is my right name. I’ll tell -you all about it when I get out of here.” - -“I’ll get you out,” replied Linda. “I’ll pick the lock on the front -door, and on your inside door.” - -“Can you really? Is there anything you can’t do, Miss Linda Carlton?” - -Linda laughed; it was wonderful to find the girl in such good spirits. - -“You stay here, Dot,” she said, “and keep Amy—I mean Helen—company. I -won’t be long.” - -She was right in her surmise; the job did not take long, and she was -extremely proud of her new accomplishment. In less than half an hour she -opened the heavy door and stepped into the dimly-lighted house. The huge -square hall, with its great staircase, the closed shutters, the sparsely -furnished rooms cast a gloomy atmosphere. It was just the sort of house -a ghost might be expected to haunt. - -By means of her flashlight she made her way through the hall to the door -where she supposed the kitchen to be. She knocked loudly, calling, - -“Yo-ho, girls!” - -“Yo, Linda!” was the reassuring reply. - -But here it was not necessary to pick the lock, for Mrs. Fishberry had -left the key in the door. So Linda merely turned it and walked into the -room. - -The two girls rushed at each other in joy, and Dot bounded around the -house to join in the happy reunion. - -“First I’m going to get some fresh air and some fresh water,” announced -Helen. “Then let’s go.” - -“Go?” repeated Linda. “Why, we just came.” - -Helen looked puzzled. - -“But didn’t you come for me?” she asked. “And now that you’ve set me -free——” - -“We weren’t sure that you’d be here,” explained Linda. “In fact, we -didn’t expect to find you—we thought you were with Mrs. Fishberry. We -really came to explore.” - -“Explore?” - -“Yes. The tower—the ghost you were so frightened of.” Linda did not add -that she had seen it herself. - -“Oh, maybe that was my imagination,” returned Helen, lightly. “I don’t -care about it now that everything has come back. All I want is to find -my old nurse—Mrs. Smalley.” - -“Mrs. Smalley?” repeated Dot. “You don’t mean Mrs. Fishberry?” - -“No, I don’t. I’ll tell you all about it, while we explore the house, if -you insist on doing that.” - -So, as the girls walked about from room to room, examining everything, -peeping into closets, inspecting Helen’s bedroom, the girl told them the -story of her life. They listened breathlessly, sharing with her the -intense desire to find the dear old nurse who had been all the mother -Helen had ever known. - -Both Dot and Linda agreed that it was necessary to set to work at once, -but Linda was not willing to leave until she had visited that tower. -Though Helen had been able to put the vision of the ghost out of her -mind, Linda could not do it so easily. She had seen for herself—in -daylight. - -“We’ll go as soon as we have a look at the tower,” she agreed. “But I’ve -just got to go up there, Helen. Please show us the way.” - -The girl shuddered. - -“I’m afraid something may happen, Linda. I—I don’t want to go.” - -“Well, just show us the staircase, and you can stay at the bottom of it -and wait for us.” - -“But I’m as much afraid for you as I am for myself,” she insisted. - -“Nevertheless, I’ve got to go. It may have something to do with Mrs. -Fishberry—it may help clear things up. By the way, Helen, do you -remember her now?” - -“No, I don’t.” - -“Do you remember your uncle?” - -“Only that there was one, and neither Mrs. Smalley nor my grandfather -liked him. They both said he was wicked.” - -“He may be up in this tower, ready to spring at us with a gun,” -suggested Dot. “That would be worse than a ghost.” - -Helen led the way to the third floor of the big old house, and thence to -a room which was scarcely more than a closet, with a spiral staircase -which ascended to the tower. Linda went up first, followed by Dot, while -Helen slowly mounted after them. - -It was so dark that had it not been for the flashlight, Linda would -never have noticed the door at the top. This opened inward, and she -stepped into the tower room. But it, too, was pitch black—a fact which -she could not explain when she recalled seeing at least two windows in -the tower from the autogiro. - -“What a horrible place!” exclaimed Dot, as she too reached the top. -“Such a musty smell! And dust!” - -“Are you still alive?” came a faint voice from below, and a moment later -Helen joined them. - -“Better close that door,” advised Linda. “We don’t want to fall down the -steps.” - -“Where are the windows?” demanded Dot. - -“Behind those curtains,” cried Linda, making the discovery as she turned -her flashlight upon a heavy drapery which hung over the wall. - -“Let’s pull them down and get some daylight,” she suggested. Grasping -them with both hands, she gave a tremendous pull, and the heavy curtains -fell to the floor in a heap. - -The sight which she disclosed made all three girls cry out in horror. -The ghost which both Linda and Helen had seen was revealed to them now! - -Helen hid her head on Dot’s shoulder, but Linda was no longer afraid. -Seen from behind, for the figure was facing the window, it was by no -means so gruesome. A human skeleton had been draped with a black cloak, -and the hollows in the bones of its face had been filled with some -preparation like wax. When she examined it closely, Linda saw that the -eyes were glass, probably covered with some phosphorous compound, to -make them gleam. And the hands, which had especially confounded her on -that previous occasion, were actually moving now. But there was a -reason: a light string attached them to each other, and a small weight -slid along the string, pulling first one hand down and then the other. -It was clever and ingenious—and horrible. - -But Linda could not help laughing at herself for being fooled so. - -“It looks like a college boy’s prank,” she said, as Helen was finally -induced to examine it for herself. “I suppose your father or your uncle -did it in their youth—to frighten the other boys. And they must have -forgotten all about it, and left it here.” - -“Maybe my uncle did it on purpose to frighten me,” remarked Helen. “I -think he had some reason for wanting Mrs. Smalley and me to move—perhaps -so that he could get the house for himself.” - -“Possibly,” admitted Linda. - -“Well, let’s pull the old thing down, anyway,” suggested Dot. “No use -frightening the countryside. And hadn’t we better take down the other -curtains and see whether there are any more?” - -Linda turned about and pulled at another drapery. This, however, -disclosed only a bare window. A third showed a blank wall behind. Then -she and Dot proceeded to dismantle the ghost and to pile it into the -corner. It was while they were doing this that a panel fell out of the -wall. - -“More mysteries!” exclaimed Dot, excitedly. “Here’s a hidden closet. -Maybe we’ll find some money!” - -“Or a lost will,” added Linda, jokingly, never thinking that she had -guessed the very thing. - -“How did you know, Linda?” demanded Dot, picking up the yellowed packet. -“That’s exactly what it is! What was your grandfather’s name, Helen?” - -“Henry Adolph Tower,” replied the girl. “I never knew that he left a -will. Is it his?” - -“Yes. Oh, come on over here, Linda—give me your flashlight. It’s getting -dark in here again. Let’s read it!” - -So busy had the girls been that they had hardly noticed the fading light -until they tried to read the words on the written and printed pages. But -they had not started from Lake Winnebago until three o’clock, and the -flight had been a considerable distance. - -Breathlessly, Dot read out the formal, legal words of the will, picking -her way slowly among the unfamiliar terms. But there could be no doubt -about the contents. Henry Adolph Tower had left the house and grounds -and the sum of one hundred thousand dollars in bonds and cash to his -granddaughter Helen, and a bequest of five thousand dollars to Mrs. -Smalley. A Trust Company in Chicago had these in keeping until the will -should be probated. - -Helen’s eyes were gleaming and her cheeks were flaming. She simply could -not believe her good fortune. Oh, if she could only tell dear old Nana -about it, this very minute! - -“Now aren’t you glad we came up here?” demanded Dot. - -“I should say I am,” she replied. “Oh, Linda—and Dot—you have done so -much for me!” - -“What’s that queer smell?” asked Linda abruptly changing the subject. - -“Something’s burning,” said Dot. - -“I wonder if I left any beans on cooking,” remarked Helen. “I was so -excited when I heard you girls come in that plane, that I don’t remember -whether I left the oil stove burning or not.” - -“Could the kitchen be on fire?” demanded Dot, holding the will tightly -in her hands. “Girls, we’ve got to get out of here!” - -Taking the flashlight Linda led the way down the staircase and opened -the door of the small room that led to the hall. An overpowering cloud -of smoke rushed against her, stifling her so that she closed the door -immediately again. - -“Stay here!” she commanded to the others, who had just come down the -spiral staircase. “Keep the door closed, while I see whether I can force -my way through. The house is on fire!” - -Closing the door again, she crept out on her hands and knees through the -smoke-filled passageway. The atmosphere was dense with the smoke, so -overpowering that Linda gasped helplessly for breath. But she pushed -onward to the main staircase, only to see that great wooden structure -already in flames. - -With a cry of terror she crept back to the door of the room that led to -the tower, and fell with a dull thud against it. Dot rushed forward and -opened the door, and knew from one look at her chum’s face that escape -through the house was impossible. - -“Come back to the tower!” she cried, “where we can get some air through -the windows!” - -But Linda only leaned weakly against the steps. She could not answer. - -“We’ll have to carry her, Helen!” Dot said. “Take hold of her feet. I’d -rather jump from the tower if I have to die than be burned alive!” - -Together the two girls managed to get Linda up the steps and once there -they shattered the glass of the tower windows, for they could not raise -them. The fresh air was reviving; Linda was able to stand up and lean -out of the window while the others cried for help. - -At that very moment, Mike O’Malley drove up to the house in his car, -followed by a huge telephone repair truck! - - - - - Chapter XVI - While the House Burned ... - - -When Mrs. Fishberry left Helen Tower locked in the empty house on -Saturday evening, to take a train back to Chicago, she was exceedingly -pleased with herself. Everything had turned out wonderfully, she -believed, and she would soon be married to a rich man. When the law suit -was over she would go abroad with Ed—or perhaps join him abroad, for he -seemed to think it was necessary to get out of the country immediately. -Well, perhaps he was a little bit crooked—— - -But Mrs. Fishberry did not believe him to be as wicked as he really was. -She thought that perhaps Linda Carlton had hit Helen with her autogiro, -and though there was no real witness to the accident except Dorothy -Crowley, Mrs. Fishberry did not consider it wrong to bribe someone to -make up the testimony. After all, Linda Carlton must be rich; there was -no reason why she shouldn’t part with some of her money. The girl was -always winning prizes—probably without much effort on her part, Mrs. -Fishberry believed. - -She was so late getting into Chicago that night that she waited until -Sunday noon to call Ed. She was anxious to tell him of her success, not -only in obtaining the pictures and the records about his niece, but of -securing the girl herself under lock and key. Ed would rejoice at the -news, for he had not expected her to accomplish this feat before Sunday. - -To her dismay, however, a strange voice answered the telephone in Ed’s -apartment. When Mrs. Fishberry gave him her name, he explained that he -was Leo Epstein, the lawyer whom Tower had employed to take charge of -the damage suit against Linda Carlton. - -“And I have sent a telegram to Miss Carlton, informing her of our -intentions,” he said. - -“In my name?” demanded Mrs. Fishberry. - -“Yes, of course.” - -“But I’m not married to Mr. Tower yet,” she protested. “It won’t be -legal for me to sue Miss Carlton unless I’m the girl’s real aunt.” - -“It’ll be legal by the time the case comes up. Those things take a long -time—unless Miss Carlton is willing to settle out of court. Maybe she -will pay us twenty-five thousand dollars to keep us from suing her.” - -“She’ll never do that!” asserted Mrs. Fishberry. - -“Why do you say that?” asked the lawyer. “Mr. Tower seemed to think that -there might be some chance of it.” - -“Because I know Miss Carlton. She isn’t the sort of person to run away -from trouble. And Mr. Tower doesn’t know Miss Carlton, or he wouldn’t -think she would.” - -“Hm,” remarked Mr. Epstein. - -“Well, when will Mr. Tower be back?” the woman inquired impatiently. “I -would like to be married before we get the girl.” - -“That isn’t possible, Mrs. Fishberry,” he said. “And it really doesn’t -make a bit of difference. Mr. Tower is out of town now and may not be -back for several days. He left word for me to tell you to call him up at -the Central Hotel in Milwaukee to-morrow morning, if you had anything to -say to him that was important. I suppose if you wanted to see him, you -could go there. That is the only message I have, Mrs. Fishberry.” - -“I see,” replied the other, as she hung up the receiver. She was so -angry at the way Ed Tower did things, the way he never seemed to -consider what she wanted to do, that she thought of going home to -Montana, and dropping her part in the affair. After all, was it worth -it? What was she going to get out of it? And she certainly didn’t want -to have to look after Helen Tower for the rest of her life. - -Ed was certainly a selfish man. Oh, he was attractive, and nice if he -wanted to be, but wasn’t he just using her now to help him get this -money? How was she to be sure that he would ever share it with her if he -did get it? - -She would have dropped the whole thing then and there—for Mrs. Fishberry -had never been a dishonest woman before—had it not been for the thought -of poor Helen Tower locked alone in that empty house. Although she had -no love for the girl, and believed her to be feeble-minded, she could -not bear the thought of her being burned alive, as she might be if Ed -went alone to the house without knowing that Helen was there. No; Mrs. -Fishberry couldn’t back out now. She’d have to take the sleeper to -Milwaukee in time to be there in the morning, to go with Ed and rescue -the girl. - -A little after eight o’clock the following morning she arrived at the -Central Hotel and was informed that Mr. Tower was at breakfast. She -joined him, for she had eaten nothing on the train. - -“Hello, there, Elsie!” he cried, cheerily, as she seated herself at the -table with him. “Have you found my niece?” - -“Yes,” she replied, briefly. - -“Where is she now?” - -“Locked in the empty house.” - -“But we don’t want her there!” he stormed. “Of all the fool places to -leave her—” He stopped, remembering that he was in a public place, and -refused to discuss the subject until they were both seated in his gray -open roadster, speeding away from Milwaukee somewhat later in the day. - -It was then that Mrs. Fishberry insisted upon an explanation of his -disapproval of what she had done with Helen. - -“I don’t see why I should have been bothered with her over Sunday,” she -said resentfully, “when you were off having a good time!” - -“Oh, is that so?” he retorted, in irritation. “Well, I told you to get -hold of her—and keep her. Now if she sees me set fire to the house, -how’s that going to fix me with the police?” - -“I never thought of that,” admitted Mrs. Fishberry. - -“That’s the trouble with you! You never think! Well, we’ll have to think -of something now.” - -They drove along at a rapid rate after leaving the city, stopping only -once to have an early dinner at a wayside inn. It was then that the man -decided upon a plan. - -“I think the best idea is for you to drive when we get in sight of the -house, and I’ll get out and hide somewhere while I put on a disguise. -You take the key and go into the house and get the kid. But when you get -outside again, you’ll have to pretend that there’s something the matter -with the car, because I want it left for me. So you and the kid can walk -to the station. I won’t sneak up to the house till after you’re well out -of sight, so as Helen won’t see it burning.” - -“That’s all very well for you,” objected the woman, “but not so good for -me. You know it’s at least five miles to the station!” - -“Can’t help that! It’s your fault for not thinking what would happen if -you left the kid in that house.” - -“Oh, all right,” she agreed, sullenly. There seemed to be nothing else -to do. - -But this plan was naturally never carried out, for the simple reason -that when Mrs. Fishberry arrived a little after seven o’clock, the girl -was nowhere to be found. A hasty glance at the broken lock on the front -door, the open kitchen door, and the smashed windows assured her that -Helen had made her escape. It never occurred to her to suspect that the -latter might be somewhere else in the house—or in the tower. She felt -relieved that she was gone; she was tired of the whole affair. - -She ran back to her companion with the news. He fairly snorted with -anger. - -“Balled everything up, didn’t you?” he cried. - -Mrs. Fishberry stood still and laughed. He was such a funny-looking -object in that disguise—a gray wig and a false beard, and a long linen -duster. Though the sun had set, it was not yet dark, and she could -plainly see him, crouched under some bushes. - -“You’re a sight!” she sneered. “And I bet they catch you!” - -“What’s the matter with you, Elsie?” he demanded. - -“Nothing—oh, nothing,” she replied hastily, but already she had decided -that she was through with Ed Tower. - -The man came out of his hiding place and lifted a suitcase from the rear -of his car. But he did not think to ask Elsie Fishberry for the key, and -here he made a mistake which he was to regret bitterly later on. - -He trudged along up the path to the house, afraid to hurry lest someone -see him and suspect him. If he walked along like an ordinary old -peddler, nobody would think anything about him. - -But once inside the house, he did not loiter a minute. Opening up his -suitcase, he took out great wads of cotton waste which had been -previously soaked in oil. These he piled under the huge wooden -staircase, and applied a match. As the rags burst into flames he -hurriedly left the house, carefully closing the door behind him. - -Before he had reached the road he could see the smoke pouring through -the chimney of the fireplace, and out of the broken kitchen window. -There was no doubt that he had succeeded in setting the house on fire, -no doubt that it would burn to the ground. By to-morrow the news would -have reached the papers. On Wednesday he ought to be able to go to the -Trust Company in Chicago and collect that money which was his father’s -small fortune. For now at last the officials would be assured that Henry -Adolph Tower’s will could never be found. - -He chuckled to himself with satisfaction as he reached the road and -looked about for his car. But that chuckle abruptly changed to an oath -as he failed to see it. It was gone! Elsie Fishberry had double-crossed -him, and had run away! - -For a few minutes he stood there in the road, hoping that she was only -playing a practical joke upon him, and that she would suddenly drive -into sight. But as the time passed he gave up hoping, and snatching off -his wig and his beard, he flung them, with his linen coat, into the -bushes, and started on his five-mile hike to the station. - - - - - Chapter XVII - The Rescue - - -The very cause of Mike O’Malley’s delay in arriving at the empty house -on Monday evening proved to be the thing that saved the three girls in -the tower. It was the huge ladder on the telephone repair truck. - -When Mike left the girls on Sunday with his promise to help them, he -drove straight back to Milwaukee to give the story of the treasure hunt -to his newspaper. At the same time he asked for Monday afternoon off, in -order to follow the “Linda Carlton Mystery,” as he called the accident -to Helen Tower. When this leave was granted he sat down in his -boarding-house bedroom to contemplate what he had better take with him. - -“There’s something in that tower that mystifies Miss Linda,” he said to -himself. “And she seems to think it is closed off from the rest of the -house. I wonder how we could get in.” - -He had all sorts of ideas—of going up in the autogiro and coming down in -a parachute, of jumping from the “Ladybug” to the window—but, of course, -these things wouldn’t do, because most likely the windows would be -closed and locked. No; a ladder was the only solution; but how could he -carry a ladder on his little Ford? - -It was one of his brothers who solved the problem for him. As he had -told Miss Carlton on the occasion of his first visit to the bungalow at -Green Falls, Mike O’Malley was one of a large family. Two of his -brothers had left the farm for jobs in Milwaukee, and one of these was -with the telephone company. Pat—for that was his name—would be the very -person to help! - -It was easily arranged, the only difficulty being that his brother could -not leave until four o’clock. However, the boys planned to meet outside -of the city, thereby avoiding the worst of the traffic, and they made -good speed along the country road. A little before eight, supperless but -happy, they drove up to the empty house. - -“We’re too late!” shouted Pat, leaning out of his truck. “She’s on -fire!” - -Mike had been pretty sure of this fact several minutes earlier, when he -had noticed some smoke in the sky, but he had said nothing. They must go -on, he had decided, for Linda and Dot might be trapped inside. - -“We better get out of here,” called Pat, above the noise of the two -engines. “Don’t forget we’ve got gas, and both our cars may explode.” - -“Pull over there in the field,” directed Mike, briefly. “I’ve got to -make sure that the girls are safe.” - -And then they heard the cries, the wild terrified screams of those three -girls trapped in the tower of the burning house. - -There wasn’t a moment to be lost. Pat took down his extension ladder, -and directed Mike how to help him get it up. They worked as fast as they -could, but the task appeared to be endless to the tortured girls, -watching them in breathless silence from the high windows. It seemed to -them as if the ladder would never reach to their height. - -“Wish I was a real fireman,” was the only remark which Mike made during -the whole tense proceeding. - -The flames were reaching the roof of the house now, and smoke was -streaming from the tower windows. Forcing his hands not to shake, Mike -held the ladder while Pat pulled it to its full height. There was one -terrible moment, while they all waited to see whether it would reach to -the edge of the window— It did! The boys let out a cry of, “Ready now! -Come down, girls!” and held tightly—and prayed. - -Dot leaned out of the window to make sure that the ladder was firmly -gripping the ledge, and to Mike’s surprise, neither she nor Linda -climbed out, but little Helen instead. Holding on to Dot’s hand, the -young girl stepped over, and made her perilous way down the ladder, to -the ground. - -There was a slight delay, while more smoke poured from the windows. -Evidently Dot and Linda were arguing about who should come next, but Dot -had to give in, for she knew it was of no use to try to withstand Linda. -So she climbed over the ledge and started downward, only to see the -window ledge itself catch fire when she was halfway down! - -If Linda had been wearing a dress instead of knickers, there would have -been little hope for her now. But as it was she managed to straddle the -flame and to step on the ladder, just as it, too, caught fire at the -top. It swayed for one dreadful second, but the boys held tightly, and -pushed it farther against the wall. No one ever came down a ladder -faster than Linda Carlton at that moment; it seemed as if her feet -scarcely touched the rungs. When she was finally only six feet above the -ground she jumped. It was none too soon; the ladder gave way, and the -young people all ran to safety. - -“Mike!” cried Linda joyously grasping his hands in an ecstasy of relief: -“You’re a wonder! How did you ever know to bring a ladder?” - -The young man was too excited to talk. He couldn’t say a word. - -“We must get these cars out of the way,” ordered Pat, who had not even -been introduced. “Let’s all meet down by the road.” - -“O.K.,” agreed Mike, signaling to Helen to get into his Ford. - -“My ‘Ladybug!’” exclaimed Linda abruptly. She had all but forgotten it. -Suppose it were burned! - -“Want any help?” asked Mike, as Pat started to drive his truck down to -the road. - -“No, thanks. But take Dot and Helen with you. I’ll meet you there—I -hope!” - -Running as fast as she could, keeping her face turned from the intense -heat of the fire, she passed the barn and saw that it too was beginning -to burn. Oh, if the “Ladybug” were only safe! Next to their lives she -valued her trusted autogiro. Insurance would mean little to her; it was -this particular plane that she loved, almost as if it were a horse or a -dog. - -But, miraculously, it was all right, though she realized that she was -just in time, for now that the barn was burning, a spark might fly any -moment that would set it into flames. Never before had she been so quick -in starting its engine. Thank goodness it was in perfect condition, -after her work of the morning! - -As soon as she had left the ground she circled down to the road, and saw -the lights of the truck and the Ford, for it was almost dark now. -Selecting a field opposite, she landed her autogiro again and ran across -to join the group around the cars. - -All the young people had by this time regained their spirits and were -talking excitedly and happily, asking each other questions, hardly -waiting for explanations, and all shouting at once. Though Pat O’Malley -had been a stranger to the girls fifteen minutes before, he now seemed -like one of their best friends. - -“If we only had something to eat!” sighed Mike, “my joy would be -complete.” - -“Didn’t you boys have any supper?” demanded Dot. It was quite dark now, -it must be after eight o’clock, she thought. - -“No. Did you?” - -“No.” - -“Did you, Helen?” inquired Mike, who still had only a hazy idea how the -young girl had happened to be there. - -“No. And I only had dried lima beans for lunch.” - -“The nearest village is about five miles,” volunteered Pat. “I’ve worked -along this road before. Shall we all pile into my truck and hunt it?” - -“I couldn’t leave my autogiro—” began Linda, when Dot interrupted with a -suggestion. She had just remembered the food she had brought from the -inn at Lake Winnebago. - -“Wait!” she cried, joyfully. “I’ve got chicken sandwiches and peaches in -the plane! Does that sound good?” - -“Does it sound good!” repeated Mike. “Oh, boy!” - -Linda and the two young men ran over to the field immediately, and -returned in a few minutes, their arms piled with boxes and the thermos -bottles of water which Linda always carried in the “Ladybug.” Going over -to the bank beside the road, they all sat down while Dot untied the -bundles. - -“I’ll have to count the sandwiches and divide them evenly,” she said, -laughingly. “Just as if we were all starving Armenians.” - -“I think Helen should get the most,” suggested Mike. “She really has -almost starved.” - -“Oh, this is great!” exclaimed Dot, as she examined the boxes. “There -are ten sandwiches—and six peaches—and—and——” - -“And what?” demanded Pat, hungrily. - -“And two apple pies!” - -Both boys let out a whistle, and Helen clapped her hands. - -“But how did you two girls ever expect to eat all that for your supper?” -asked Pat. - -Dot giggled. - -“I told the cook to put in a lot,” she replied, “because when Linda and -I go off on trips we never know how long we’ll be stranded.” - -“But there aren’t any desert islands around here,” remarked Mike, who -had heard the story of the girls’ adventures in the Okefenokee Swamp. - -“No, but you never can tell,” returned Dot. “Now—fall to! Here are two -sandwiches and a peach for each one of you, and Helen gets the extra -peach.” - -They ate silently for several minutes, everybody too hungry to talk. -Suddenly Helen stopped in the act of breaking her second peach in two, -and cried in dismay, - -“Dot! We forgot the will!” - -“What will?” demanded Mike. - -Linda explained briefly, while Dot reached down into her blouse. Even in -the darkness they could all see the yellowed packet which she -triumphantly held up to their view. - -“I wasn’t going to let that get away!” she announced, proudly. - -She handed it to Mike who, with the aid of his flashlight, examined it -with the greatest satisfaction. - -“That’s bully, Helen!” he cried, when he had seen enough of it to make -sure that it was legal. “And don’t let the Fish get any of the money!” - -“You’re not planning to go back to her, are you?” asked Linda. She was -thinking of the law suit, and wondering how Mrs. Fishberry could sue her -if Helen denied ever having known her. - -“I certainly am not!” replied the girl, emphatically. - -Dot proceeded to cut the pies, which they ate perhaps less ravenously, -but at least with as great enjoyment as the sandwiches, while they -discussed what they would do next. - -“I’ve got to get back to Milwaukee to-night,” announced Pat, as he began -to collect the sandwich papers into a pile. - -“So do I,” agreed Mike. “Anybody want to come with me?” - -“No, thank you,” replied Linda, rising from the ground. “I’ll take both -the girls back to Green Falls with me in the ‘Ladybug.’” - -“You aren’t afraid to fly at night?” inquired Pat. - -“Mercy no! The only thing I’m worried about is Aunt Emily. She expected -us for supper.” - -“Perhaps she didn’t get there herself,” suggested Mike. “They had a -motor trip and a boat trip both you know.” - -“But Mr. Clavering’s cars and boats are always reliable,” returned -Linda. “Oh, well, so long as we arrive before midnight, I don’t suppose -that she’ll be terribly worried.” - -“We’ll wait here till we see you safely up in the air,” concluded Mike. -“Then Pat and I will be going.” - -“Wait a minute!” exclaimed his brother, who had just finished his task -of picking up the papers. “Look what I’ve found over here in the -bushes!” - -To the amazement of everyone, he held up a gray wig and beard, and a -linen coat to their view. - -“What are they?” demanded Linda, as Pat turned the flashlight upon his -discovery. - -“Looks like a Hallowe’en suit,” volunteered Mike. “But what is it doing -here?” - -“Helen,” asked Dot, turning to the young girl, “can you remember having -any masquerade parties at your house?” - -“We never had _any_ parties,” she replied. “We were too poor. On my -birthdays Nana—I mean Mrs. Smalley—would make cookies, and she and I and -my doll would play it was a party. That was all.” - -Linda was silent. There had been something familiar about the beard in -particular, for it was bigger and longer than most real ones. Now she -remembered what it reminded her of. - -“Remember that old man who knocked Helen down, Dot?” she inquired. - -A smile broke over Dot’s face. - -“Of course! A disguise! I never could understand why a man apparently so -aged would be driving at that reckless rate of speed. He wasn’t old at -all, I guess!” - -“By George, that’s the answer!” cried Mike, positively elated by the -discovery. “Now all we’ve got to do is to catch the man. Helen, have you -any idea who he could be?” - -“I’m afraid,” answered the girl reluctantly, “that he’s my uncle. And if -he is, you won’t catch him. He’s wicked—and clever.” - -“Anyhow, we’ll try,” Mike assured her. “Shall I take charge of this -stuff, while I see what can be done?” - -Helen nodded, and he walked with the girls over the field to the -“Ladybug,” and stood watching Linda take off into the sky. Fascinated, -he continued to gaze at the autogiro until its light was all that he -could see—a little spark of flame in the heavens—and then he turned -about and joined his brother across the road. - - - - - Chapter XVIII - In Quest of the Money - - -It was a strange and wonderful experience to Helen Tower to fly at -night—for on that other occasion she had been only semi-conscious—and -she was more thrilled than she had ever been in her life. No longer did -the darkness frighten her; the immensity of the heavens, the brightness -of the stars, the exhilaration of the swift motion through the air all -held her entranced. She did not try to say a word to Dot who was sitting -so close to her; she only watched the sky with wide-open eyes. - -It was cold, up there in the skies, in the night, but all the girls were -dressed warmly, for even Helen wore the flyer’s suit which she had put -on Saturday morning for the treasure hunt. How many things had happened -in the meanwhile; yet here she was riding back to Green Falls in the -autogiro, just as she had expected to do! - -The night was calm and pleasant, and Linda felt sure of her way. She -made the journey in record time, crossing Lake Michigan, and arriving at -the airport long before midnight. Before summoning a taxicab, she -hastened to telephone to her aunt. - -“Hello, Aunt Emily,” she said. “I’m so sorry we had to be late——” - -“Are you speaking from long distance, Linda?” asked the older woman, -immediately. “Where are you? And are you all right—you and Dot both?” - -Linda laughed. It was exactly what Miss Carlton always asked, every time -her niece took the autogiro up in the air. - -“Of course we are!” she replied. “And we’re right here at Green Falls -airport.” - -“Oh, that’s a relief, dear! I was so worried. Ralph is here with me, -waiting for news. I’ll send him right over in his car.” - -“That’s fine, Aunt Emily. And by the way, we have Helen—Amy, you -know—with us.” - -“That’s good news! And tell her that I have some news to tell her, too. -I hope that she will find it good this time—not like Mrs. Fishberry’s -surprise visit.” - -“What is it?” - -“Better wait and see,” replied Miss Carlton. “Ralph’s leaving now—see -you in ten minutes—good-by dear.” - -Linda turned to Dot, who had just finished calling her mother. - -“Ralph’s coming for us,” she told her. “So he can take you home first——” - -Dot giggled. - -“Jim’s on the way, too,” she explained to Linda. “Isn’t it funny, -though, the way our boy friends go and sit with our families when we are -out on our adventures?” - -“They really didn’t know what an adventure this was,” said Linda. “How -much shall we tell them?” - -“Oh, everything, of course. It’ll be all in the papers to-morrow—trust -Mike O’Malley for that! But it can’t worry our folks now, because it’s -all over.” - -Ralph and Jim arrived at the same time, and almost fell over each other -in their wild rush to the girls. - -“Where have you been, Linda?” Ralph demanded, as if he were a father -speaking to a disobedient child. “Bert Keen’s and Tom Hulbert’s planes -both came back ages ago. What made the ‘Ladybug’ so slow?” - -“We were rescuing Helen,” she replied, with a nod towards the girl -beside her. “And being rescued ourselves!” - -“Rescued! Linda, why don’t you let me go with you when you’re planning -something dangerous, instead of always taking another girl?” - -“I didn’t know it was going to be dangerous, Ralph,” she apologized. -“But I’ll tell you all about it when we get home, because Aunt Emily -will want to hear it, too.” - -And recount it she did to every last detail, even including the -improvised ghost in the tower, to the consternation of Ralph and her -Aunt Emily, when, fifteen minutes later, they were seated on the porch -of the Carltons’ summer home. - -“It’s a miracle that you came out alive!” exclaimed Miss Carlton, -incredulously, when Linda had finished the story. “If Mike O’Malley and -that brother of his hadn’t just happened along——” - -“They didn’t _happen_ along, Aunt Emily,” Linda insisted. “Mike had -promised to help us!” - -“Why is it that some outsider like O’Malley or Ted Mackay always has to -be the one to protect you,” muttered Ralph, “when I’d be only too -glad——” - -“Well, you can next time,” agreed Linda, smiling. “Now, Aunt Emily, how -about something to eat?” - -“Certainly, dear,” agreed the latter. “And we ought not to sit out here -on the porch, for you girls must be cold. Come into the dining room, and -I’ll make some hot cocoa.” - -It was while they were drinking this, and eating their cookies, that -Linda suddenly remembered the surprise which her aunt had mentioned. - -“What is the news you have for Helen?” she inquired. - -“Oh, I almost forgot!” exclaimed Miss Carlton. Then, turning to the -girl, she asked, “You say that you have recovered your memory, dear? Can -you recall a woman named Mrs. Smalley?” - -Helen’s eyes lighted up with affection and joy. - -“Indeed I can! She’s the very dearest memory I have!” she replied, -eagerly. - -“Well, dear, she’s here. Up in bed. She arrived yesterday, while we were -away—absolutely worn out. It seems that she had trudged miles and miles -in search of you. So Anna very wisely put her to bed. She was somewhat -rested to-day, but decided not to get up.” - -“Can I see her?” demanded Helen. - -“I think that she’s asleep.” - -“Oh, I won’t awaken her! I just want to look at her.” - -“All right, dear,” agreed Miss Carlton, and, as soon as Ralph had left, -she led the girls up to the old lady’s room. - -Helen tiptoed over to the bedside and, kneeling down, looked eagerly at -the worn face on the pillow. Her voice choked with emotion, as she -sobbed in thanksgiving. - -“Nana darling!” she whispered. - -The old lady opened her eyes, and put out her wrinkled arms to embrace -the girl. - -“My precious child!” she cried. “You do remember me, Helen?” she asked -hastily, for Miss Carlton had told her of the girl’s loss of memory. - -“Yes, yes! I am all right, Nana dearest! And so happy!” - -The reunion of the two devoted friends—the child and the nurse—was -touching to see. Linda and her aunt crept noiselessly away, and Helen -slept that night with her dear old nurse. - -The morning newspapers carried the story of the fire, as Linda had -expected. But she was surprised to see no mention of her own name, or of -the terrifying rescue. Mike O’Malley had actually sacrificed that -thrilling piece of news because he was too modest to mention his own -part in the affair! - -But a question which had not occurred to Linda before had been played up -in the headlines. “Who,” the newspaper demanded, “was responsible for -setting this house on fire?”—A man in disguise was suspected, it said, -because a gray wig and beard had been found near the road. And these -must have been left there recently, for otherwise they would have been -wet from Saturday’s storm! - -“Clever Mike!” thought Linda, as she read this deduction. “Now why -didn’t we think of that before?” - -She and Helen and Mrs. Smalley discussed the question from every angle -that morning and decided that the criminal who ran Helen down on purpose -was the same man that had set fire to the house. And both Helen and Mrs. -Smalley agreed that this must be Ed Tower. - -“But do you remember a Mrs. Fishberry, who claims that she took care of -Helen, ever since her grandfather died?” Linda asked Mrs. Smalley. - -The old lady shook her head. - -“It is a lie,” she answered, quietly. “I have always taken care of -Helen. And I never heard of any person by that name.” - -“She claims to be Mrs. Edward Tower now,” added Linda, telling about the -threatened law suit. - -But none of these things worried Helen now; she was too much excited -over the joy of finding her old nurse and of discovering her -grandfather’s will in her favor, to worry much about her uncle, or this -new aunt. She wanted to talk about the happiness the future held for her -and Mrs. Smalley. - -“We’ll get the money,” she said, “and then we’ll buy a house in Spring -City, shan’t we, Nana—to be near to the Carltons!” - -“Near to Aunt Emily—yes,” agreed Linda. “But I shan’t be in Spring City -next winter. I am going to take a job as soon as we get back.” - -“A job?” demanded Helen. “Where? What?” - -“Flying, of course. Relief work with a lumber company perhaps. I may go -to Alaska. But don’t tell Aunt Emily yet, for it isn’t settled.” - -“Oh, poor Miss Carlton!” sighed Mrs. Smalley, and added, turning to her -charge, “Helen dear, I hope that you don’t ever decide to go in for -flying!” - -“I only want to go to school,” returned the girl, simply. “With girls of -my own age.” - -“And thank Heaven that you can now!” exclaimed Mrs. Smalley, happily. - -“Which reminds me,” put in Linda, “that we must go to Chicago to collect -that money, Helen. Suppose we rest to-day, while I give the ‘Ladybug’ an -inspection, and fly to-morrow? Does that suit you?” - -It suited the girl perfectly, and accordingly, the following day, Linda -and Helen flew across Lake Michigan to Chicago, the aviatrix as usual -promising her aunt that she would return before dark. But once again -that promise was not to be fulfilled. - -Leaving the “Ladybug” at the Chicago airport, the girls took a taxi to -the Trust Company which had been mentioned in Henry Adolph Tower’s will. -When Linda sent in her card, the Vice-president, a Mr. Hudson, came out -himself to meet her. - -“How do you do, Miss Carlton?” he said, cordially. “I have read a great -deal about you in the newspapers. I am very much honored to meet you.” - -Linda blushed; she was always embarrassed when older people showed her -such deference. So she hastily told the part of the story that concerned -the finding of the will, and produced that document to prove it. - -The man examined it gravely. - -“You are too late, I am afraid, Miss Carlton,” he said. “We waited all -these years, and refused to give Mr. Edward Tower the money because we -believed that his father must have left a will. But when we learned that -the old house had burned to the ground, we felt sure that there was no -longer any hope of finding one. Yesterday morning we handed over all the -bonds and money to Mr. Tower.” - -“Oh!” gasped Linda in dismay. What a dreadful thing to happen to Helen, -after she had built such high hopes! Was she really penniless after all? - -“But when Mr. Tower hears of this, perhaps he will give it all back,” -said Mr. Hudson, soothingly. - -“No, no—he won’t!” cried Helen, miserably. “You don’t know my uncle, Mr. -Hudson, or you couldn’t suggest such a thing! He never gave us anything -in our lives!” - -The bank officer looked surprised. - -“But he was supposed to be taking care of you out of the income from the -estate,” he protested. “That was the understanding we had, when we gave -him the interest every six months.” - -“Well, he wasn’t! We almost starved—my nurse and I! If it hadn’t been -for a little garden we had—and now and then selling some of -grandfather’s books, I don’t know how we should have lived!— Oh, he was -cruel—my uncle, I mean! It was he who set fire to the house!” She was -speaking rapidly, in jerks, so that it was difficult to understand her. - -“You mean you think he actually burned that house down on purpose, so -that this will would be destroyed?” inquired Mr. Hudson. - -“Yes. Disguised as an old man! Didn’t you see that in the papers?” - -“Yes, I do recall it, now that you mention it. If you really think that -is the case, you girls must take out a warrant for his arrest, and try -to catch him—before he sails for England.” - -“England?” repeated Linda. “He is going abroad?” - -“Of course,” put in Helen. “He’s running away with the money as fast as -he can.” - -Mr. Hudson nodded. - -“Yes, you may be right, Miss Tower,” he said. “For when I asked him his -address—whether it was still the same one we have on our records—he said -he couldn’t give me any, because he was going to England, and probably -going into air service there.” - -Linda stood up. - -“There isn’t a moment to be lost!” she cried. “Mr. Hudson, do you happen -to know how he was traveling to New York, or wherever it is he is -sailing from?” - -“Yes, I do. He mentioned the fact that he was flying—going by the first -scheduled plane this morning. He said he never used trains.” - -“So he’s air minded,” muttered Linda, thinking how much harder that -would make things for them. - -“I’m afraid you can’t catch him,” said Mr. Hudson. “If I only knew what -boat he was taking we could wire——” - -“We’re going to catch him!” announced Linda, with that firmness which -she so often displayed in a crisis. “We’re flying, too! In my own -autogiro! And though Mr. Tower has a start on us, we shan’t have to stop -for stations, and passengers!” - -“Wait a minute,” urged the officer, seeing that she was determined to -carry out her plan. “Let me help you! While you girls get some lunch, -I’ll see about obtaining a warrant for Tower’s arrest. And you can -telephone your folks at the same time.” - -Linda nodded, and pressed the elderly man’s hand gratefully. People were -always so good to her—so kind! And, handing him the will for -safekeeping, she and Helen rushed off to follow his instructions. - - - - - Chapter XIX - A Clew to Follow - - -After Helen Tower’s outburst of rage and disappointment over losing the -money which she had been counting on receiving, she became absolutely -silent. Without a word she followed Linda out of the office to a -telephone booth, then to a restaurant across the street from the Trust -Company’s building. It was an automat, and Linda thought that the -novelty of putting nickels into a slot machine to obtain food might -divert Helen’s thoughts from her own troubles. Surely a girl who had -lived in the country all her life had never seen anything so unusual as -this; surely she would be interested. But Helen showed no enthusiasm at -all. - -“What do you want for your lunch, Helen?” Linda asked. - -“I’m not hungry,” replied her companion, listlessly. - -“But you must eat, while we have the chance!” - -Tears came up into Helen’s eyes. - -“I’m a pauper again,” she said, in a melancholy tone. “I can’t even pay -for what I eat.” - -“Don’t be silly, dear!” urged Linda, with an effort at cheerfulness. -“Don’t forget you have five hundred dollars of that prize money—which -you earned yourself! And besides, I think we’re going to catch that -man.” - -Helen, however, refused to be encouraged. - -“Even if we do, he’ll have spent it,” she objected. - -“Then he’ll have to pay it back! Or go to prison— But come along, we -must get into line with our trays. We’ll choose a regular hot dinner -now, and then I’ll buy some sandwiches to tuck into the autogiro for our -supper, so we shan’t have to stop on our way, and lose any time.” - -In spite of her indifference, the attractive food did make its appeal to -Helen, and once she began to eat she found that she was hungry. She even -smiled when Linda went back to the slot machines for ice cream and -chocolate cake. - -It was while the girls were eating their dessert that a familiar figure -entered the restaurant. A woman, whom both Linda and Helen had been -hoping they would never see again in their lives. It was none other than -Mrs. Fishberry! - -Helen’s eyes met Linda’s in annoyance. - -“I sincerely hope she doesn’t see us,” remarked the latter, giving all -her attention to her ice cream. - -But this wish was not fulfilled, for the woman noticed them and -recognized them immediately. And, glad of a chance to clear herself of -her part in the unpleasant affair, she hurried over to their very table -and sat down with her tray. - -“How do you do?” she said, brightly. “I am so glad that you are with -Miss Carlton again, Helen. When I came back to the old house for you on -Monday, I wondered where you had gone.” - -The old sense of fear came back to Helen, and she reached for Linda’s -hand. What was this woman planning to do to her now? - -Noticing this gesture, Mrs. Fishberry smiled. - -“You needn’t be afraid of me,” she said, reassuringly. “I’m not after -you now—in fact, I don’t want you! I’ve broken with Ed Tower.” - -“You mean you aren’t married to him?” demanded Linda, thinking at once -of the threatening telegram, and of the law suit that was planned. - -“No, I’m not—and I’m not going to be!” returned the other, emphatically. -“He’s too crooked for me.” She did not add that Tower himself had tired -of her, and tried to escape from her first. - -“I ran away from him in his own car,” she continued, “while he was -setting that house on fire. A crime like that was too much for me.” - -“He did set the house on fire?” Linda repeated, excitedly. “We thought -so.” - -“Linda and I and another girl were in it,” remarked Helen, grimly. - -“Oh, my heavens!” exclaimed the woman, aghast at these words. “But you -got out?” - -“Yes,” replied Linda briefly, as she rose from her seat. “We must go -now, Mrs. Fishberry— Oh, I might ask you—I suppose that law suit is off, -then, if you are not Mrs. Tower?” - -“Yes, of course.” - -“And one thing more—just to clear things up in my own mind—did you ever -see Helen in your life before your visit to Green Falls?” - -“No, I didn’t,” admitted the woman. “That was all Ed’s lie—to get money -out of you. Oh, I am innocent—I’ve never done anything bad till I got in -his clutches. But he looks like a prince, and smiles like an angel, and -he wound me right around his little finger!” - -An inspiration came to Linda: perhaps Mrs. Fishberry knew something of -Ed Tower’s plans. Perhaps she would be willing to tell, now that she was -so angry with him. - -“You don’t know where he is now, do you?” she asked, trying to speak -casually, as if she were not much concerned. - -“No, I don’t!” replied the other, flatly. “And I don’t care! I’m going -to clear out of here, and go back to Montana.” - -“Mr. Tower didn’t say anything to you about going abroad?” - -“Oh, yes, he did. He’s clearing out of the country, the minute he -collects that money from his father’s estate. He got some kind of job -with an air-transport company at Newport News.” - -“Air-transport company!” repeated Linda, in amazement. “But why should -he want to get a job, when he had all that money? Does he like work so -much?” - -“No, but he was afraid to go to England by an ordinary passenger boat, -for fear he’d be caught. You know—passports, and all that sort of thing. -Nobody but me and the man who got him this job know that he’s going.” - -“So if the police look for him, they won’t be able to find him?” -concluded Linda, with a twinkle in her eye. What luck it was, to get the -very information she wanted—and from a person she had actually tried to -avoid! - -She held out her hand. - -“Shall we part good friends, Mrs. Fishberry?” she asked, pleasantly. - -“O.K. with me,” replied the woman, accepting the hand shake with a -smile. - -The girls were hardly out of the door when Linda grasped her companion’s -arm and whistled for joy. - -“We’re going to get him now, Helen!” she cried, exultantly. “Think of -the time we’ll save by flying straight to Virginia, instead of going -around by New York!” - -“You believe Mrs. Fishberry was telling the truth?” inquired Helen, -doubtfully. - -“Oh, yes! Your uncle has let her down—decided that he didn’t want to -marry her and share the money with her after all—and she’s sore. She was -glad to tell all she knew about him!” - -They were walking rapidly, approaching the Trust Company’s building, -when Linda suddenly stopped, and frowned. - -“Why didn’t I ask Mrs. Fishberry to describe Mr. Tower?” she demanded. -“We may not know him if we do see him!” - -“I might recognize him,” remarked the other girl. “Though at the present -minute, I haven’t the slightest idea what he looks like. But that really -doesn’t matter, Linda. If Mr. Hudson gets that warrant for his arrest, -all we have to do is ask for him.” - -“Maybe,” agreed Linda, trying to be hopeful. “Only I’m afraid that once -he got that money, he’d travel under a different name.” - -Helen looked dismayed at the idea. - -“He would if he could, I suppose,” she said. “But let’s hope that he got -this job under his own name—and had to keep it.” - -Returning to the office where Linda was to meet Mr. Hudson again, she -sat down at a desk to plot out her flight to Virginia. She had expected -to follow the regular air line from Chicago to New York, but, of course, -this plan was changed now. - -“It’s going to be fun, Helen!” she cried, as she bent over the map. As -usual the anticipation of a long flight gave her a joyous thrill. - -“We’ll fly southeast,” she announced, “and I think I can pass right over -Spring City. The only difficult part is the Allegheny Mountains—but I’ve -flown over mountains before. You aren’t afraid, are you, Helen?” she -asked. “You wouldn’t rather go back to Green Falls, and wait for me -there?” - -“I should say not!” protested the girl, eagerly. “I love flying, you -know that, Linda! And I never get a bit sick.” - -“There’s not much danger of that in an autogiro,” replied the capable -young aviatrix. “You see we don’t feel air pockets, as people do in -other planes—now, let me see—I think we can make Spring City before dark -to-night! Wouldn’t it be fun to stay in our own house?” - -“I should say it would!” exclaimed Helen, in delight. “But could we get -in?” - -“Surely. I always carry a key with me—with my other keys, you know. Oh, -Helen, that will be fun! And we’ll start early to-morrow morning for -Newport News, Virginia.” - -“Do you suppose we’ll catch him?” - -“I hope so. If he left here this morning, he’d hardly be planning to -sail before Friday morning. And I think we’ll arrive some time Thursday -afternoon.” - -“If everything goes right,” amended the other. - -“Yes,” agreed Linda. “If everything goes right. If we don’t run into a -storm over the mountains!” - - - - - Chapter XX - Flying Over the Mountains - - -Everything went well with Linda Carlton and Helen Tower on that first -lap of their flight in the autogiro from Chicago to Spring City, in -Ohio. The weather continued fine all afternoon and the “Ladybug’s” motor -droned on in perfect rhythm. It was not yet dark when Linda made her -landing in the field behind her own house. - -Helen was wildly excited at the idea of seeing the Carlton home; for the -time being she had forgotten her terrible disappointment at the loss of -her money. In the calm happy hours of the flight her faith in the -goodness of the world had been restored. She believed that somehow, some -way, Linda Carlton would succeed in the end. - -“Why, your place is as big as our old house!” she exclaimed. “All except -that extra wing—and the tower. But so different! So beautiful!” - -Linda smiled; she too had always admired her charming home. - -She unlocked the door, and after they had both washed and eaten some -supper which Linda ordered sent in from a delicatessen store, the -aviatrix spent the rest of the daylight going over her engine. She -wanted everything in perfect shape to start again on their journey at -six o’clock the next morning. - -She took the opportunity, however, to call her aunt on the telephone, -and enjoyed surprising her with the news that she and Helen were -sleeping in her own home that night. - -When the alarm clock rang at five-thirty the following morning, Linda -could not believe that day had really come. Then, as she sleepily crept -out of bed, she glanced out of the windows, and saw the reason for the -total lack of light. The skies were cloudy! - -“Just our luck!” she muttered. “The day we have to fly over the -mountains!” - -“Hadn’t we better wait awhile?” suggested Helen, sleepily; “to see if it -clears up?” - -“We daren’t,” replied Linda, gravely. “If we don’t get to Virginia -to-day, there won’t be any use of going at all. Mr. Tower will surely be -off for England to-morrow.” - -At these words Helen became wide awake, and recalled the importance of -their flight to her, and she dressed quickly, even insisting upon -getting the breakfast, while Linda filled her autogiro with gas and oil -from a supply which she kept at home. - -While Helen packed sandwiches and filled the thermos bottles with water -for their lunch, Linda hunted an old rain coat and some extra clothing -from the closets. Her own slicker was packed in the “Ladybug,” but Helen -would need something if they ran into the storm. - -They made their start about half-past six, before it was actually -raining. Linda made good time across Ohio and West Virginia, keeping -steadily onward, bearing to the southeast, in spite of the light rain -that was falling. Neither girl wanted to land for lunch, so Helen fed -Linda sandwiches and water from the passenger’s cockpit. The aviatrix’s -one idea was to cross the Allegheny Mountains before the storm grew too -intense. - -But it was not to be, for as she came to the hills, Linda saw that she -was running right into the storm area. All about her was grayness; she -could not see land anywhere, and in this mountainous region, her -altimeter was not an infallible guide. In the effort to play safe she -directed the “Ladybug’s” nose upward, to keep clear of the mountains, -but here the wind was intense, sending the rain into their faces, -delaying their progress. - -Never, she thought impatiently, had she been flying so slowly. It was -impossible to make headway in the face of this wind. At this rate, they -would be too late; they could not hope to reach the coast before -nightfall! - -Desperately deciding that she must take a chance for once, she dropped -her autogiro several hundred feet. The relief was immediate; the winds -were far less intense, and her progress became more rapid. But she must -watch carefully, she warned herself; in this obscurity she could not -tell how near to the ground she was. - -At that moment she was far from the earth, just as her altimeter -intimated, for she was flying over a valley. But she could not know that -it was a valley—at least not until it was too late! Even to Linda’s -watchful eyes the disaster came suddenly. In an instant the mountain -seemed to be rushing at her, with the same inevitable force that Ed -Tower’s car had run into Helen. With a gasp of horror she shut off her -power, praying that the rotors would break the fall. The plane hovered a -moment, for it had not been going fast, and began to descend on the side -of that mountain. But it was too close to it; a moment later it crashed -against the hill, with an impact that threw both girls from their -cockpits. - -Linda jumped to her feet immediately, unharmed except for some bruises, -and dashed over to her companion who was lying in the bushes, still -unable to understand what had happened. - -“Are you hurt, Helen?” Linda cried, fearfully. How dreadful it was that -everything seemed to happen to this poor child! Now, if some bones were -broken, in this lonely place far away from doctors and hospitals, there -would be little chance for the girl’s recovery. Linda shivered with fear -as she knelt down beside her. - -But Helen sat up and smiled reassuringly. - -“No, I’m all right, Linda,” she said. “But what happened?” - -“We bumped into a mountain,” returned Linda, laughing in sheer relief. -“It’s this awful weather—I couldn’t see where I was going.” - -“Is the ‘Ladybug’ wrecked?” - -“I don’t know yet. I haven’t examined her. I was too much scared about -you.” - -Helen stood up. - -“Well, come on, let’s look and know the worst. I guess it’s good-by to -my money now.” - -Linda did not reply, but dashed back to the autogiro to examine it for -damages. The propeller was all right, and the rotor blades—thank -goodness—for evidently the “Ladybug” had struck on her side. But one -wheel and one wing were damaged. - -“It doesn’t look so bad,” remarked Helen, as she watched Linda -anxiously. “Can you make it fly again, or shall we have to stay here the -rest of our lives?” - -Linda laughed good-naturedly. - -“Oh, somebody’d rescue us before that. Ralph Clavering, probably—Aunt -Emily told him just where we were going. But that isn’t going to be -necessary, because I can fix it.” - -“Can you really, Linda? Even that broken wheel?” demanded the girl, in -awe. - -“Yes. I carry an extra wheel and material to mend the wings. But it’s -going to take time.” - -Helen’s smile faded; she knew what this meant. They would be too late to -catch her uncle! - -“Well, it can’t be helped,” she remarked, with a sigh of resignation. -“We’re lucky that we got out alive.” - -Linda looked about her, surveying the landscape. It was a lonely place, -with no house anywhere in sight. Trees and bushes covered the -mountainside sparsely, and below in the valley a stream was running. But -there was no shelter anywhere from the storm. - -“I’m going to get right to work,” she announced to Helen, “and you -better see what you can do about making a fire. If you go up the -mountain farther, under those thick trees, you may be able to find some -dry wood. And then we can get warm and make some hot tea for our -supper.” - -“Supper?” repeated Helen. “It isn’t time for that yet, is it?” - -“No, not yet. But I’m afraid I’ll be a good while fixing the ‘Ladybug.’ -We’ll have to make the best of it.” - -Helen nodded, determined to be a good sport and not to make things any -harder than was necessary for Linda. After all, it was for Helen’s sake -that the brave young pilot had risked this flight over the mountains in -the storm. She would do her part to make the older girl as comfortable -as possible. - -She spent the rest of the afternoon collecting wood and clearing a dry -spot under the trees for their camp fire, and she managed to cook supper -from a can of baked beans which Linda had in the autogiro. What light -there was—for it was still drizzling a little and the skies were -gray—was fading when Linda, tired and dirty, announced that she had -completed her task. - -“That supper certainly smells good,” she said, as she used a little of -their water to wash her hands. “And I’m starved!” - -“So am I,” agreed Helen. “Are you really finished, Linda? Do you think -the ‘Ladybug’ will fly again?” - -“I hope so,” replied the aviatrix, seating herself beside the fire and -taking the plate of beans which Helen offered. “My only difficulty will -be to get her started. There’s no place for a take-off.” - -“I never thought of that. I believed that an autogiro could start -anywhere.” - -“Well, not quite anywhere. There must be a little runway,” explained -Linda. “But I think the two of us together can push her over to that -road—at least it’s supposed to be a road, I guess—if we go carefully. -Will you help me after supper?” - -“Of course,” agreed Helen. “It isn’t much of a road—I was looking at it -this afternoon—but at least it’s clear of bushes. But do you really -think we can make it?” - -“I hope so. There aren’t any trees in the way. If there had been any in -the spot where we hit,” she added, “I don’t suppose we should be alive -to tell the tale.” - -Helen shuddered. - -“You do have the most marvelous escapes, Linda!” she remarked. Then she -looked grave. “But all on account of me. What a peaceful summer you -would have had, if you hadn’t happened to see my accident.” - -“My summer has been fine!” Linda assured her. “And I should have been -flying somewhere, anyhow—and probably would have met with other -adventures. I don’t like things to be slow, you know.” - -The girls finished their supper, and as soon as they had cleared up and -put out the fire, they started upon their dangerous task of getting the -“Ladybug” out of the underbrush. For a time it seemed as if it were -going to be impossible, but by digging up some bushes, and removing some -rocks in its path, they finally got her started. The difficulty then was -to stop her, but Linda carefully applied her brakes, and finally they -managed to reach the road. - -It had grown dark by the time they had finished, but the rain had ceased -and they felt well pleased with their success. Hot and tired and damp -with perspiration and the recent rain, Linda sat down on the wet grass -for a rest. - -“Let’s take a swim, Helen,” she suggested. “I see a stream down in the -valley. Then we ought to be able to get some sleep, so long as it’s -stopped raining. We can spread our slickers on the ground.” - -“Sleep!” repeated the other girl in dismay. “Aren’t we going to fly?” - -Linda shook her head. - -“I’m sorry, dear,” she replied, gently. “But I’m not going to risk it. I -don’t know where we are, and these mountains are too unfamiliar for me -to try it on a night like this, particularly when I’m so tired, and I -haven’t even tested the ‘Ladybug.’” - -Helen nodded; she saw the wisdom of Linda’s decision. They were probably -too late now, anyway. This was Thursday night; they must have lost all -chance of catching her uncle before he sailed. - -The mountain stream was shallow and cold, but it felt good to Linda -after her hard afternoon’s work. She waded about until she found a place -deep enough to lie down, and here she relaxed with content. - -But it was too cold to stay in the water long, and fifteen minutes -later, with renewed energy she began to build a new fire, down by the -stream, away from the autogiro. By this time her young companion was -exhausted; when she made a feeble effort to help Linda with the fire, -the latter commanded her to spread out her slicker and go to sleep. - -An hour or so later, when Linda’s fire was burning brightly, the clouds -dispersed and the stars shone out in the sky. With a contented sigh -Linda sat there for a long time, until the fire had burned out, and the -mountains looked black and forbidding. She could not help wondering -about them; they were so deep and silent in the night. What strange -creatures might live there? Were there any dangerous animals prowling -about, to molest these two lonely girls? The thought made Linda shiver -for a moment, and she rose abruptly to her feet, determined to get her -revolver out of the autogiro. - -Her sudden movement brought a quick response from the woods. A black, -shadowy creature appeared from behind a tree only a dozen feet beyond -her, and she involuntarily cried out in terror. Oh, why hadn’t she -thought of that revolver sooner? She hadn’t even a stick to protect her -if this was a bear or a wolf, sneaking up in a nightly attack in search -of food. - -Her cry wakened Helen, who shot up from the ground as if she had been -hit. - -“What is it, Linda?” she demanded, her voice hoarse with terror. “A -bear, or a ghost?” - -“Neither—” returned the other, vexed with herself for her fear: -“It’s—it’s—a deer! And look—Helen—he’s running for his life! He’s much -more afraid of us than we are of him!” - -Helen sighed in relief, but she still clung to Linda’s arm. - -“Come and sleep beside me,” she urged. “The next visitor may be a lot -worse!” - -“I’ll be prepared for the next one,” asserted Linda. “With my revolver, -my knife—and a stout stick!” - -But though she put all these weapons beside her, Linda had no use for -them that night, and both girls slept soundly until the sun wakened them -the next morning. - - - - - Chapter XXI - A Strange Landing - - -Flying over the mountains in the bright, calm sunlight was a very -different proposition from clearing them in the face of wind and rain, -and Linda encountered no difficulty at all as she set out the next -morning. Neither she nor Helen had much hope of catching the man who had -stolen the bonds and the money, but both girls decided it was worth -taking a chance. So long as they had come this far, it would be foolish -to turn back without finishing the flight. - -They arrived at the Newport News airport a little before ten o’clock, -and Linda set herself immediately to the task of finding out where the -air-transport company was located. When she had secured this information -she stepped back into her autogiro, prepared to fly to the spot. She was -not wasting any time now with taxicabs, for wherever she went, she felt -sure there would be a landing place large enough for the “Ladybug.” - -She had been directed to the shore on the Chesapeake Bay, and here she -found hangars and planes and officers. A smiling young man came to greet -her immediately. - -“Good morning,” said Linda, quickly. “We have come from Chicago to find -a man named Edward Tower. I understand that he was sailing to England on -an air transport—leaving to-day, perhaps?” - -Her heart beat rapidly while she waited for his answer. - -The young man nodded. - -“There was a transport that left at nine o’clock this morning,” he -replied, to both girls’ utter dismay. Only an hour ago! They had lost -the race by sixty short minutes! - -“Oh!” gasped Linda, sadly, and tears of disappointment came into Helen’s -eyes. - -The young man seemed to be thinking. - -“I can’t recall anyone by the name of Tower,” he said. “And I myself -went over the lists.” - -Linda’s eyes narrowed. - -“Then Mr. Tower must be using another name—just as he used the disguise -of an old man—” she added, to Helen. Then, turning to the officer, she -explained that she had a warrant for Tower’s arrest. - -“There couldn’t be another boat going to England?” she asked. - -“No. Air transports aren’t like passenger boats,” he replied, “sailing -every few days. There are only a limited number in existence.” - -Linda was silent, trying to think of something that she could do. It was -the young man who finally made the suggestion which she followed. - -“Look here, Miss,” he said, “why don’t you go after the boat? You have -an autogiro, haven’t you?” - -“Yes—” replied Linda, not knowing what he meant. - -“Well, fly out over the ocean till you find them. I’ll show you a -picture of the transport, so you can spot it. But you couldn’t miss it -anyhow. Then hover over it, and I’ll give you a mail bag to drop down. -That’ll be a signal—the Captain’ll clear the deck for you to land.” - -“Land on a ship’s deck?” repeated Linda, in amazement. - -“Sure. With a ’giro it’s easy—if you know how to manage her. Lt. -Melville Pride did it a while ago—maybe you read about it in the -papers?” - -“No, I must have missed that,” answered Linda. “But did he take off -again? I wouldn’t want to go all the way to England.” - -“Sure he took off. The crew helped, I believe— But, of course, Lt. Pride -is an expert. If you’re a beginner, I wouldn’t advise you to try it.” - -Linda looked grave, but Helen burst out laughing. - -“I guess you don’t know that this is Miss Linda Carlton!” she announced -proudly. “The girl who flew the Atlantic Ocean alone!” - -The young man gasped, and held out his hand, which Linda shook -cordially. - -“I’m honored to meet you, Miss Carlton,” he said. “And, of course, you -can land on that ship. Go ahead and do it!” - -“I will,” replied Linda, who always made her decisions quickly. “Just -let me look at my gas——” - -Ten minutes later she took off from the shore, pointing her autogiro out -towards the ocean. Her spirits were high; she had never been so excited -before. This, she thought to herself, must be the way the pirates of old -felt, when they went after a ship! - -It was not long before she spotted the ship, for the “Ladybug” made much -better time than the transport. Circling about, she gradually descended -until she was almost over the ship. Then she leaned out of the cockpit -and dropped the mail bag, with a message pinned on it to the effect that -she wanted to make a landing. - -Confusion immediately arose on the ship’s deck, as Linda could easily -see, without even the aid of her glasses. Men and officers hurried to -and fro, clearing a large space. They had no way of knowing that their -visitor was not some high government official, but only a girl of -eighteen! - -At last the man who was probably the captain gave her the signal, and -Linda descended cautiously, thankful that she had had plenty of practice -in coming down on exact spots. Her experience in the Okefenokee Swamp -had not been in vain, for she landed with confidence now. It was as -pretty a demonstration as the crew had ever seen. - -“Pretty neat!” exclaimed the Captain, rushing over to her side. Then, in -consternation, he exclaimed, “By George! It’s a girl!” - -“Two girls!” corrected Linda, climbing out of the cockpit, and trying -not to look embarrassed. How she wished her companion were Dot Crowley, -instead of modest little Helen Tower! For Dot would do all the talking, -and take charge of everything. - -She looked about in confusion at the men who gathered so quickly around -her, and she could not distinguish the Captain. Then, all of a sudden, -she spied a familiar face. Lord Dudley, amongst all those strangers! - -“Miss Carlton!” he exclaimed, in surprise. “Am I the reason we are being -honored with this visit?” - -Linda laughed and shook her head. - -“I’m afraid not, Lord Dudley,” she said, holding out her hand. “But it’s -good to see somebody that I know. Now will you please introduce me to -the Captain?” - -“Certainly,” agreed the man, and he hastened to do the honors. - -Cautiously, however, Linda asked to speak with the Captain alone, and he -took her into a cabin while she stated her business, asking for a man -named Edward Tower, and showing her warrant and a note from Mr. Hudson, -stating the facts concerning the will, and the taking of the money and -bonds. - -The Captain, however, gazed at the papers gravely. - -“We haven’t any man by that name,” he stated. - -“Then he must be using another name,” Linda replied, desperately. “Oh, -he must be here! He just must!” - -The Captain looked exceedingly sorry for her, but he explained that he -did not see how he could possibly find out. “We haven’t a detective on -board,” he added, helplessly. - -Linda stood up. She had forgotten Helen, had left her sitting alone in -the autogiro. Their only hope now lay in the girl’s recognizing her -uncle. - -She went back to the deck, where Lord Dudley met her and claimed her as -his guest. That he was proud of her, in front of all those officers and -men, could not be disputed. He had almost decided to ask her again to -marry him. - -Together they walked towards the “Ladybug,” from which Helen Tower -suddenly leaped. - -“Uncle Ed!” she cried, in wildest excitement. - -Linda and Lord Dudley looked about them, questioningly. - -“You’ve found him, haven’t you, Linda?” demanded the girl, rushing over -and grabbing Lord Dudley by the arm. “Hand over my money!” she -commanded, dramatically. - -Lord Dudley pretended to look puzzled, but beneath it all Linda could -see a hidden tinge of fear in his eyes. - -“But this is Lord Dudley, Helen—” Linda insisted. - -“It’s my uncle Ed Tower!” repeated the girl, emphatically. “I know it. -Don’t you remember, Linda—when I saw him before on the Country Club -porch, at that tennis match, I said he looked familiar?” - -“Why, this is nonsense,” objected the man, trying to keep his voice -calm. “I will appeal to the Captain if you think it is necessary, Miss -Carlton.” - -But the Captain, it seemed, was only too ready to help the girls. -Immediately he demanded a search of the man’s belongings; if Lord Dudley -was in reality Edward Tower, the money and the bonds must be hidden -somewhere in his quarters. The Captain sent three trusted officers to -find out. - -Linda and Helen remained on deck with the Captain and the man posing as -Lord Dudley, and the girls told the story of the finding of the will and -the confession of Mrs. Fishberry. Ten minutes later the searchers -returned, bringing fifty thousand dollars in bonds, and fifty thousand -in cash! There could be no doubt now of the man’s identity. - -“You want to arrest Tower, don’t you, Miss Carlton?” asked the Captain, -as he put the valuables into her hands. “Even though you got the money?” - -Linda looked questioningly at Helen. - -“We had better,” answered the younger girl. “He might try to run over me -again. Or burn more houses, with people in them!” - -Linda nodded; it was not safe for a man like Ed Tower, who could even -pose successfully as an English lord, to be at large. There was no -telling what wickedness he might accomplish in the future. - -“Then suppose I send a pilot back with him in your autogiro—with the -warrant for his arrest. You girls can wait here until the autogiro -returns.” - -Linda agreed, and it was all accomplished in an incredibly short time. -An hour later, with their small fortune carefully stored in the -“Ladybug,” they set out for home. - -Their first stop was Baltimore, for they flew north this time, and here -they were met by an old friend of Linda’s father, a banker who took -charge of their money and bonds, and who insisted upon taking them to -his home to spend the week end with his daughters. - -It was Monday afternoon when the girls finally reached Green Falls, -having flown the whole journey—through Pennsylvania, over the Allegheny -Mountains, north through Ohio and Michigan—without a single mishap. The -entire summer colony was out to greet them, it seemed, but little Helen -Tower saw only Mrs. Smalley, her dear old nurse. - -The look of happiness and gratitude on the faces of these two devoted -friends—happiness that they could live comfortably together, gratitude -to Linda for what she had done for them—was enough to repay the brave -aviatrix for her perilous summer. - - - - - _SAVE THE WRAPPER!_ - - -_If_ you have enjoyed reading about the adventures of the new friends -you have made in this book and would like to read more clean, wholesome -stories of their entertaining experiences, turn to the book jacket—on -the inside of it, a comprehensive list of Burt’s fine series of -carefully selected books for young people has been placed for your -convenience. - -_Orders for these books, placed with your bookstore or sent to the -Publishers, will receive prompt attention._ - - - The Linda Carlton Series - - By EDITH LAVELL - - [Illustration: Linda Carlton, Air Pilot] - -A splendid group of books detailing the adventures of daring Linda -Carlton. If you are air-minded, read THE LINDA CARLTON SERIES. - - Handsome Cloth Binding - _Attractive Colored Jackets_ - - PRICE, 50 CENTS EACH - POSTAGE 10c. EXTRA - - Linda Carlton, Air Pilot - Linda Carlton’s Ocean Flight - Linda Carlton’s Island Adventure - - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - New York Chicago - - - THE BETTY LEE SERIES - - By HARRIET PYNE GROVE - - _A Delightful Series of School Stories for Girls of High School Age!_ - - [Illustration: Betty Lee, Freshman] - -Follow popular, lovable Betty Lee through her interesting High School -adventure. - - Handsome Cloth Binding _Attractive Colored Jackets_ - - PRICE, 50 CENTS EACH - POSTAGE 10c. EXTRA - - BETTY LEE, FRESHMAN - BETTY LEE, SOPHOMORE - BETTY LEE, JUNIOR - BETTY LEE, SENIOR - - - THE JEAN MARY SERIES - - By ELLA DOLBEAR LEE - - [Illustration: Jean Mary’s Summer Mystery] - -The adventures of a group of young American girls in their travels -throughout America and Europe. Filled with splendid anecdotes of travel, -and each volume has a separate little romance all its own. - - Handsome Cloth Binding - _Attractive Colored Jackets_ - - PRICE, 50 CENTS EACH - POSTAGE 10c. EXTRA - - JEAN MARY’S ADVENTURE - JEAN MARY’S SUMMER MYSTERY - JEAN MARY IN VIRGINIA - JEAN MARY’S ROMANCE - - - The Girl Scouts Series - - BY EDITH LAVELL - - [Illustration: The Girl Scouts’ Motor Trip] - -A new copyright series of Girl Scouts stories by an author of wide -experience in Scouts’ craft, as Director of Girl Scouts of Philadelphia. - - Clothbound, with Attractive Color Designs. - - PRICE, 50 CENTS EACH - POSTAGE 10c. EXTRA - - THE GIRL SCOUTS AT MISS ALLEN’S SCHOOL - THE GIRL SCOUTS AT CAMP - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ GOOD TURN - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ CANOE TRIP - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ RIVALS - THE GIRL SCOUTS ON THE RANCH - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ VACATION ADVENTURES - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ MOTOR TRIP - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ CAPTAIN - THE GIRL SCOUTS’ DIRECTOR - - - THE MERRY LYNN SERIES - - By HARRIET PYNE GROVE - - Cloth Bound. Jackets in Colors. - -The charm of school and camp life, out-door sports and European travel -is found in these winning tales of Merilyn and her friends at boarding -school and college. These realistic stories of the everyday life, the -fun, frolic and special adventures of the Beechwood girls will be -enjoyed by all girls of high school age. - - MERILYN ENTERS BEECHWOOD - MERILYN AT CAMP MEENAHGA - MERILYN TESTS LOYALTY - MERILYN’S NEW ADVENTURE - MERILYN FORRESTER, CO-ED. - THE “MERRY LYNN” MINE - - - Marjorie Dean High School Series - - BY PAULINE LESTER - - [Illustration: Marjorie Dean, High School Freshman] - - Author of the Famous Marjorie Dean College Series - -These are clean, wholesome stories that will be of great interest to all -girls of high school age. - - All Cloth Bound Copyright Titles - - PRICE, 50 CENTS EACH - Postage 10c. Extra. - - MARJORIE DEAN, HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN - MARJORIE DEAN, HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE - MARJORIE DEAN, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR - MARJORIE DEAN, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR - - - THE - Ann Sterling Series - - By HARRIET PYNE GROVE - - Stories of Ranch and College Life - For Girls 12 to 16 Years - - _Handsome Cloth Binding with Attractive Jackets in Color_ - - [Illustration: Ann Sterling] - -ANN STERLING - - The strange gift of Old Never-Run, an Indian whom she has befriended, - brings exciting events into Ann’s life. - - THE COURAGE OF ANN - - Ann makes many new, worthwhile friends during her first year at Forest - Hill College. - - ANN AND THE JOLLY SIX - - At the close of their Freshman year Ann and the Jolly Six enjoy a - house party at the Sterling’s mountain ranch. - - ANN CROSSES A SECRET TRAIL - - The Sterling family, with a group of friends, spend a thrilling - vacation under the southern Pines of Florida. - - ANN’S SEARCH REWARDED - - In solving the disappearance of her father, Ann finds exciting - adventures, Indians and bandits in the West. - - ANN’S AMBITIONS - - The end of her Senior year at Forest Hill brings a whirl of new events - into the career of “Ann of the Singing Fingers.” - - ANN’S STERLING HEART - - Ann returns home, after completing a busy year of musical study - abroad. - - - For sale by all booksellers, or sent on receipt of price by the - Publishers - A. L. BURT COMPANY, Publishers, - 114-120 EAST 23rd STREET NEW YORK - - [Illustration: Endpapers] - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard (or amusing) - spellings and dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Linda Carlton's Perilous Summer, by Edith Lavell - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LINDA CARLTON'S PERILOUS SUMMER *** - -***** This file should be named 63407-0.txt or 63407-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/4/0/63407/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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